


Stallion of Skairon

by Hyperionova



Series: A Tale in Slavaria [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Contains all sorts of profanities, Love Triangle, M/M, Romance, Royalty, dont worry, there is smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 16:36:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 75,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20642291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyperionova/pseuds/Hyperionova
Summary: Sequel to Pearl of Novalon.Aaden now leads the life of a commoner after leaving everything he had worked hard for all his life behind. Sehun, having run away from home, wants nothing more than to be with the man he loves.





	Stallion of Skairon

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Qeeyas](https://twitter.com/keeyahun)  
:*

# P R O L O G U E

The evening was ominously quiet. Silence could be either a blessing or a bane. Because it was in the silence where thoughts thrived the loudest. While some thoughts flourished the mind and the spirit, others gnawed at them, corrupting them persistently.

In many ways, he missed the rowdy scene of the capital, the stifled air, the happening streets. The barracks. The loud people there. It was not that he had never coveted quietness and peace. He had. Plenty. But only for when he was old and retired. He wanted to retreat to the countryside, where he would live in a small hut with his brother. Perhaps he would even have a vegetable garden in his backyard. And a lover in his arms. Until then, for as long as there was vigour in his blood and strength in his bones, he had wanted to fulfil his promise of servitude to the royal family.

But all of that had wafted into the air as soon as he had let his heart fall for someone. He had known how dangerous it would be if he let it happen. However, he had not been able to help it when it sucked him in, whole and proper. He had put his arms around it and embraced it, held it, never wanting to let it go even when it suffocated him.

It crashed and burned, as expected. He had no luck when it came to such things. He was not meant to find a peace like that. When he found out that it had all been nothing but a lie, a mere play, he had not been able to take it. He had seen plenty of ups and downs in his life. But none had affected him as much as this had.

He strove to do the right thing, every single time. One could imagine how devastating it would have been for him to find out that he had touched someone he had wanted so dearly when that someone did not want him whole-heartedly. He had been a fool. A complete, utter fool. And he had not been able to forgive himself for it. No matter what Sehun told him.

Something that he had thought was precious and special was in fact abhorrent and unacceptable. The blame was to be his. He had been blind. For the first time, he had misjudged a situation and a person just because he had let his heart waver. And it had cost him everything. Any other man in his position would have given into his anger. Though anger had coiled around his neck like a snake, the despair, of having fallen for someone who did not love him and in fact held another man in his heart, had overpowered him.

Only love could break even the strongest of men. And God, did Sehun break him… Bits and pieces.

_It might rain_, he thought to himself, gazing up at the overcasts dominating the evening sky. The wind carried the scent of rain in its flux.

“Brother?”

Aaden pulled away from the window of the cottage, which was not any bigger or better than a shanty. Well, his hovel back at the barracks was not any more extravagant either. He could have afforded a better house however with the savings he had accumulated over the years of working for the royal family. But this was what he could find at such short notice.

Turning around, he faced his brother, who stood there timidly, gnawing on his fingernails. “I’m hungry,” he said quietly.

Aaden nodded his head and walked over to his little brother. “Come. We’ll eat,” he muttered, taking hold of Reyan’s skinny arm.

There was not much in the cottage. Two small rooms. A cramped kitchen in the back. A bath, which was only slightly bigger than a closet and most of its space was filled by the large wooden water tub. It would not be half bad if Aaden ever bothered to put up the door.

Reyan was given his own room. It was warmer. Aaden did not mind sleeping on the straw pallet in the living room. But the barren backyard did allow for some spacious training arena. Aaden might live the life of a civilian now, but he did not think that he could go a day without wielding a sword.

“We have some stale bread and cool yogurt,” said Aaden, guiding Reyan into the kitchen. He then told his brother to sit down on the flimsy rug on the floor as he went to fetch dinner.

He fixed Reyan a plate before joining the boy on the floor. Reyan made a face, grimacing at the plate of ryebread and oat yogurt.

“I will get us something better tomorrow,” sighed Aaden, tearing a piece from the bread. The shops had closed before he had managed to get there after work today. “Eat this for tonight.”

Reyan did not argue or grouse, but he was not even the teensiest bit happy about the food. Aaden could stomach anything after years of training as a soldier. Be it liver broth or potato peelings gruel. But Reyan must have gotten used to the food they were served at the barracks. They were always hearty and rich. Full of meat and grease.

But there was no doubt they had been in worse situations than this. There had been nights when they would go to bed without any supper at all because their mother had not been able to afford any. It was highly possible that Reyan did not remember those evenings they would clutch at their empty stomachs and pray for some sleep. After all, he had only been a child then. Well, it was not that he was any less of a child now.

“Tastes like… vomit,” Reyan mumbled at one point when Aaden fed him a morsel of bread dipped in yogurt. Smiling, Aaden gave the boy’s already tousled hair a ruffle.

“I said I will get you nicer food tomorrow.”

“Like fish?”

Aaden sighed. “All right. I will get you fish.”

“And candied figs? On skewers?”

“If you want them.”

It had been difficult to make Reyan understand why they had to move away from the barracks following Aaden’s resignation. He had not asked Aaden too many questions either. He seldom questioned Aaden about anything. Perhaps he believed that his older brother knew best.

Oh, how Aaden wished that that were true. In reality, he did not think that he knew anything anymore. The people around him had often commended him on his faculty for assessing one’s character almost faultlessly. That was what made him a good Captain and a tactful Commander. But all of that had gone down the drain when he met Sehun. He had been unable to judge the boy’s character from the very beginning. All that he knew was that he had a hard time taking his eyes off Sehun, even when the latter had barely acknowledged Aaden’s existence behind the throne where he often stood, guarding his King, Queen and Prince.

He never wanted to have a weakness. But he had one. A very big one. And as soon as he had let himself be vulnerable to it, look at where it had brought him.

All the reputation he had built for himself over the years was tarnished. He was now the man who had slept with the enemy. His own Crowned Prince refused to trust him anymore. His men, who used to be willing to give their life for him and march to the deepest depths of hell upon his command, had looked at him with something akin to disbelief and disdain. He had worked so hard to get to where he was. And all of that was shattered because of the false judgments of his heart.

More than anything, getting into bed with a spy was one thing. But being unable to mete out the fair and just punishments to the traitor upon discovery was unforgivable. Aaden had been a weakling when he had offered himself up in Sehun’s place. He had been willing to put his Prince, his soldiers in jeopardy to protect someone who had betrayed him. He had been ready to fight the Crowned Prince of Slavaria for the sake of the traitor’s safety.

He had failed in his duties. He had failed to keep to the oaths he had taken following his ascension to captaincy.

He did not hate Sehun. He hated himself. He did not blame Sehun. He blamed himself.

It no longer felt right to be at the palace, pretending as though his loyalty had not wavered.

Prince Fredegar had been kind enough to free him of his charges. But Aaden knew things would never be the same again. The news had spread like wildfire. Hurtful names followed him like a shadow wherever he went. He could no longer take it. It hurt his pride. And it had all been for nothing. So, he left.

But there had been still one loose end, which Aaden could not overlook. He could walk away from many things, but not his guilty conscience. He had wanted to seek forgiveness from the boy. There might have been a hundred different ways for Sehun to hurt him. But he had chosen the most painful of them all. Nevertheless, Aaden swallowed his pride and had gone over to Novalon, searching for the boy so that he could issue an apology for having taken the boy when the latter had desired another man.

Not just any other man. A prince at that.

But he had gotten something entirely different out of the visit. As much as his heart lurched toward Sehun and his sweet, sweet words of want and longing, Aaden’s head told him to be cautious and extremely cynical of Sehun’s desperate pronouncements. He had been bitten severely once before after all. He could not afford to let the boy toy with his feelings again.

In spite of not liking the food, Reyan managed to eat most of it.

“What do you do at home when I’m at work?” Aaden asked as he helped Reyan wipe his mouth.

His brother held his head low and chewed on his lip. It had only been a few weeks or so since they moved away from the barracks. Aaden had a much more strenuous job now, which required his being away from home for longer hours of the day. At least at the barracks he knew Reyan had his ways of keeping himself entertained. The guards loved showing him a good time whenever he was bored, too. Now that they lived much further from the busy city of Skairon, he was not sure how Reyan spent his time at home while Aaden was away.

The boy shrugged his scrawny shoulders. “I play with sticks and mud at the back.”

Aaden stared at him. Then licking his lips, he rose to his feet and helped Reyan up as well. “You must find something else to do.”

“Like what?” He frowned. He was not very good at making friends. There was a small town nearby and there were a couple of cottages around them. None of their neighbours seemed very friendly, though.

“How about… you go to school?” asked Aaden.

Of course, Reyan was too old to be attending any school around here. He had a tutor for a short while back at the palace. But the man had quit, claiming that Reyan could not be taught anything because he had the mind of a child.

“School?” echoed Reyan doubtfully.

“Yes. To learn mathematics and history. Would you… like that?”

Reyan was quick to respond with an excited nod of his head. “I want to learn mathematics and history!” he exclaimed.

Aaden smiled weakly. He gave his brother’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Very well, then. There must be a local preceptor in the town.”

Even before Reyan was born, their parents had not been able to afford Aaden a decent school. Some days, Aaden stood on the other side of the wall of a small school in the corner and listened to what the preceptors taught the kids whose parents were able to send them to school. He learned how to count. He learned the history of Slavaria. When he turned fifteen, however, his interest in learning the theories quickly diminished. He picked up a sword instead and enlisted himself in the King’s army.

“Off to bed now.”

Reyan obeyed. He was good at obeying most of the time. It was as though he understood that defiance would only cause his brother unnecessary trouble and Aaden already had plenty of that for now.

After putting Reyan to sleep, Aaden returned to the kitchen to grab what was left of the loaf of ryebread and ate some before retreating to the backyard for some evening training. But it soon started raining, much to his dismay. Hence, he decided to call it a day and take a bath before heading to his own pathetic pallet on the floor.

They would need more furniture. Aaden should get started on it promptly.

He tossed and turned in his bed, shirtless and sweating, in spite of the cold rain outside. He had slept all by his lonesome for many years. The loneliness had never bothered him. Not in a long time. But those sparse nights he had spent with someone else on his bed, in his arms, continued to haunt him.

He rubbed his jaw and frowned at the length of his beard. He had not shaved in a while. Maintaining his physical appearance was the last thing on his mind right now.

He wondered if Sehun was also laying so restlessly this night, doused in humidness, taunted by memories and the longings they shared.

Or at least Aaden _hoped_ they shared. Sehun had told him many things that day on his visit to Novalon. Many things which Aaden had wanted to desperately believe. But he was not sure if he could.

Which was why he had sent Sehun away. He had told the boy to think long and hard about what he truly wanted. And if his heart were as real as his words, then Aaden would welcome him.

But it had been a few days since then. And there was no sign of Sehun.

Fredegar’s coronation was only a handful of weeks away. The negotiations regarding the borders with the Taitenian King had been rather unsuccessful. Although both parties had circumvented a war for now—not for the lack of trying—the coronation of a new King would inevitably open gates to many more troubles. The Prince would need capable advisors at his side. And a capable Captain. Following Aaden’s demission, Ragepelt had taken up the mantle, though temporarily until Fredegar found a more suitable Captain and Commander for his soldiers.

A huge part of Aaden wanted to be there when the Prince rose to the throne. His father had entrusted Aaden with the security and welfare of his family and the country. Aaden had broken that trust by giving it all up for…

There was no point in weeping of spilt milk.

* * *

The morning smelled like last night’s rain. The dirt roads were damp and muddy. Reyan was still asleep when Aaden left home moments after sunup.

He glanced at the herdswoman who strode past him, guiding a drove of cattle. Her eyes widened in something like astonishment, and she quickly averted them, clicking her tongue repeatedly at the lowing kine. Did she recognize him, Aaden wondered. He was known all through the capital, but what about this far away from it? It was possible that some of these folks knew.

That unnerved him a little.

The stonemason’s workshop was not far from where Aaden now lived. He considered himself fortunate to have found a job at a moment’s notice. Although in many ways it felt like a good rest from standing guard by the royal family members all day long, Aaden still missed having a sword at his side. It had become like a phantom limb to him.

He dressed simple now. It was nowhere near as simple as the rags he had worn as a youngling, but the clothes he wore now were certainly a downgrade compared to the finery he had worn as a Captain of the King’s Guard. Perhaps the thick fabric of his uniform was the one thing he might not miss.

When he reached the workshop, the stonemason looked too busy to notice his presence. The sun had barely come up and the man was already covered in sweat, working the rocks.

His much younger wife, on the other hand, looked tired and bored as she always did while entertaining her husband’s daily morning whims.

“How could I possibly supply him with what he wants if he gives me two days?! Two!” yapped the stonemason, wiping rivulets of sweat from his wrinkled forehead.

The other two boys who worked there were much younger than Aaden. And smaller. So, they stuck to the smelters and grindstones for the less back-breaking tasks. They never talked to Aaden. It was not a bad thing. Aaden did not like talking to people.

The stonemason was thickly built man with no hair on his head and quite a bit of potbelly. Aaden had gone looking for the miners for a job when he stumbled upon the workshop. The stonemason had immediately seen the potential in Aaden’s powerfully muscled arms and strong shoulders.

“Ah, Aaden,” said the stonemason’s wife when she found him walking toward the workshop. “You are early as always. Incredible work ethic.”

Aaden only smiled at her. He had never been much of a man of many words. But there was something about the stonemason’s wife that discomfited him. She was too friendly. Too nice. Too polite. Too… comfortable with him.

Surely her husband could not have missed the advances she had been ministering ever since Aaden started working there. If he did, he never showed any resentments toward it. Perhaps it was all in Aaden’s head.

“Get to the quarry,” said the stonemason without looking at Aaden as he continued to survey the piles of stone in the workshop. “Bring me the cut rocks.”

Aaden nodded his head. He was not very used to taking orders as such. He had started out as a mere soldier, yes, but it had been a very long time since he had had to take orders from commoners. But he better got used to it, he supposed.

Much later in the evening once he had done everything he was asked to do, he stood before the stonemason’s wife, who distributed the day’s wages to the workers. Aaden picked up his shirt—the one he had tossed aside around noontime when the sun had gotten blisteringly hot—and pulled it on. He left it unlaced as he walked over to the stonemason’s wife.

With a coy smirk, she held out some coins. “Here’s something for an honest day’s work, Aaden.”

The stonemason was nowhere to be seen. So, Aaden decided to ask the wife. “May I ask you for a favour, Mrs. Vaud?”

“Mrs. Vaud?” She chuckled. Aaden noticed that one of her bodice’s laces had come undone, revealing the cleavage of her breasts. Aaden doubted that she had not noticed it. “Please, do call me Ronna.”

Aaden licked his lips. “Uh… I was just wondering if you know a preceptor of some kind.”

“A preceptor?” The woman’s eyes widened. “Whatever for, if I may ask?”

Aaden was obligated to answer her queries. She was after all his employer now. “For my brother.”

“Oh.” The smile returned to her face. She ran a hand past her braided red hair. “For a moment there I thought you were asking for your children.”

“I am not married yet,” said Aaden.

The stonemason’s wife’s lips quirked into a suggestive simper. “That is quite unfortunate. A handsome man like you still hasn’t found a wife. Is it just you and your brother, then?”

“Yes.”

“Well, my children do take their lessons from the preceptor in the town. He conducts his classes next to the bread shop. I could put in a word for you.”

“Only if it isn’t too much of a trouble for you.”

“Nonsense. You are new here. I am glad to help you.”

Aaden bowed his head. “Thank you.”

As he turned around to leave, she stopped him, her hand on his arm. “One moment,” she said, looking up at Aaden’s eyes. “You do look a little familiar. Where did you say you come from?”

“The capital,” said Aaden curtly. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to return home to my brother.”

She released his arm and smiled once more. “Of course. If you need anything else… just let me know.”

Aaden might not have much experience in the arena of flirtations and propositions. But he was not so dense that he could not distinguish between harmless politeness and manifest coquetry. The latter distressed him greatly, but he maintained his composure. It would bode well for him to make an enemy of his employers.

He wended his way to the market in the town nearby next, covered in sweat and soot. He must look like a caveman. But that was the least of his worries.

He found some charred catfish sold by a vendor. And some candied figs. He also got some apples. They were not fresh, it was nearly the end of the day after all. But something was better than nothing.

He then stopped by the preceptor’s house. It was not all that difficult to locate. The preceptor appeared to be the only one in the area. The man was in his late sixties when he greeted Aaden at the door. And he did not look very patient, judging by the way he stared Aaden down, grimacing at the dirt and muck clinging to Aaden’s hair and clothes. But he agreed to take Reyan in, so long the fees showed up on time, which Aaden promised would.

When he reached home, Reyan was sitting in the middle of the cottage near Aaden’s pallet, staring at the dancing flame of a candle, which barely allowed any brightness. Luckily, there was still a couple of hours left of light.

“You are back, Brother,” the boy rasped, springing up to his feet. “What is that smell?!”

This brought Aaden back to those days when little Reyan would be jumping on his feet as soon as Aaden came home with food for them both. By then, their mother had passed away, leaving them with nothing but a small, shoddy shack in the dankest corner of the city, where only rats, mongrels and scoundrels lurked. No one born in a good family ever wandered over there.

“You asked for fish and figs,” said Aaden. Figs were Reyan’s favourite. He loved them in any way they came. Roasted, candied, fresh, drizzled with honey. The endearment the guards used to address Reyan back at the barracks was ‘Babyfigs’ for the very reason.

That evening, Reyan ate greedily. It was not as good as the food at the barracks, but Aaden could never manage to cook something half as decent. This would have to do for now.

“I am thinking of building some bedframes. The floor does not seem awfully cosy,” he told his younger brother.

Reyan nodded his head, cheeks stuffed.

“And I asked the local preceptor if you could join his lessons,” he then said. Reyan stopped chewing to stare at his brother with big, curious eyes. “You can drop by tomorrow.”

Aaden was not sure if this would end well. He had tried numerous times before to get Reyan tutored and governed. It had never worked out. Reyan never could sit in one place and listen to people talk. Unless it was a bedtime story.

“I like that,” the boy chimed and continued eating.

* * *

More days passed as easily as the flitting wind. Whenever he was not at work, Aaden busied himself with the woodwork at home. Carpentry was not one of Aaden’s strongest suits. But he tried to make it work.

Reyan had no trouble finding his way back home from the preceptor’s house in the afternoons after his lessons. Aaden met the preceptor the second day to ensure that Reyan was welcome there. The preceptor’s responses had been cold as usual. He told Aaden that Reyan was a challenging ‘case’, and that he could take no pride in teaching such a person. Nevertheless, he admitted that he did not mind Reyan’s presence among his more ‘normal’ pupils. His statements had angered Aaden. He had half the mind to stop Reyan from going there again. However, his brother seemed content with his new adventure. He often wore a smile whenever Aaden came home. Everything started to fall into place once again.

Except that Aaden continued to feel betrayed.

The house reeked, wood shavings and sawdust caking the floorboards. The jerry-built bedframe stood against the wall, waiting to be finished. Aaden stared at it in the dark, lying on his pallet with a hand tucked under his head. It was raining again tonight. Another thunderstorm. The season of rain was possibly the season he hated the most. Everything was just so moist and so humid. And the cacophony made it difficult for him to hear his own thoughts.

But the discord of the downpour only slightly muffled the panicked knocks on the door. For a moment, Aaden wondered if he were just hearing things. Then a fist pounded against the wooden door.

He sat up and scowled in door’s way. Who could it be in the dead of the night, in the middle of a brutal storm? Tightening the laces of his trousers, he rose from the pallet and started for the door. Hand wrapped around the doorknob, he paused for a second to calm his wary nerves. Then opening the door at the third knock, he looked down at the slender, shivering frame that was standing on his doorstep, covered in a cloak that was soaked from the rain.

Aaden’s gaze briefly rose to the horse standing behind the visitor, tall and regal. He would recognize the black stallion in the darkest of nights. Blackfire.

He remembered lending his steed to Sehun to be ridden back home during their separation in Novalon.

He returned his eyes back to the boy standing before him, drawing his cowl down to reveal a head full of wet hair and raindrops trickling down his face, dripping from his chin. Even in the dark of the night, Aaden could see the long, gnarly red scar on Sehun’s left cheek. The ministration of a cane or a whip. Perhaps even a riding crop. Aaden felt his heart drop to his stomach. The rain had washed away most of the blood from the wound, but it still looked very much fresh.

A rush of anger and horror shot through his veins then.

“Who did this?” was the first thing he could think to ask. His words sounded as sharp as a whetstone dragged against a blade. He clenched his fists, ready to plant them in someone’s skull.

But his anger faded as he saw the tears in Sehun’s bloodshot eyes. He looked exhausted. He must have been riding without rest.

“Can I come in?” the boy then asked in a shaky voice that broke Aaden’s spirit. It reminded Aaden of the evening Sehun had stood at his door, asking the very question with a tremor in his voice.

* * *

# C H A P T E R O N E

The wound had closed, but it was still hard to look at. On the one hand, Aaden was overcome by a rage like no other, burning to hurt whoever that had inflicted such brutality on the boy. But on the other, he was forced to entertain more confusing emotions that blanketed around his head and heart. Sehun was here. In Skairon. Drenched from head to toe. Crying and scared. Seeking comfort.

He sat on the edge of Aaden’s pallet and continued to weep silently with his head hung low. Aaden was no longer certain if it were tears or rainwater that were streaming down his cheeks, one of which was now cruelly bruised.

Grabbing a piece of cloth and a bowl of water, Aaden returned to the living room and knelt before Sehun on the floor. For moments, he did nothing but stare at the boy. Part of him wanted to reach out, cup Sehun’s face in his hands and wipe those tears away, offer Sehun the comfort his entire body was trembling for.

But Aaden refrained himself. The guilt of having touched the boy when he was unwanted was enough to last a lifetime. Aaden no longer dared to act upon his feelings.

“That looks terrible,” he remarked quietly as he dampened the cloth and brought it to Sehun’s face.

The boy flinched away. Aaden dropped his hand.

He allowed Sehun some time to calm down. Then gently, he asked, “Would you like some water?”

Sehun nodded.

Fetching the boy a cup of water, Aaden watched him guzzle the drink greedily. “Who did this to you?” he tried asking once more, in a much calmer tone now, even though every fibre in his being wanted to fight.

After a moment of silence and hesitation, Sehun muttered, “I left… home.”

So, he had decided to stay true to the words he had spoke to Aaden that day. He must have taken some time to think over his decision after all if it had taken him this long to leave his family.

“My father did not… like it,” he then added, voice breaking.

Aaden clenched his jaw. “He did this to you?” he demanded through his grit teeth.

Sehun gave another small nod. It was as though his face hurt too much for him to make heavier movements with his head.

“Then how did you get away?” asked Aaden, dropping to his knees once more.

“He did not stop me. He only punished me and told me that I am never to return. And if I did, he would kill me with his own bare hands and toss my corpse for the vultures to prey on.”

Suddenly Aaden was glad that he was so far away from Novalon. Otherwise, he would be on a warpath right now.

“How did he… punish you?” asked Aaden.

He immediately regretted, noticing the distress in the boy’s weak expression. It must pain him to relive the horror. Before Aaden could take back what he had asked, Sehun began to speak.

“He cropped me.” He hung his head and pulled up a leg of his trousers to reveal a vicious lesion along only an inch below the knee. Aaden felt his own breathing labour in a violent anger.

When he slid a hand along the calf, thumb lightly grazing the edges of the scar, the boy winced but did not pull away. Then clearing his throat, Aaden withdrew his hand, quietly cursing at himself for lowering his guard for a moment there.

“It would scar,” he told Sehun, looking at the mark on his cheek. “It won’t look too bad, but it will leave a scar behind.”

The boy did not look like he cared much for his appearance at the moment. He looked sad, scared and just worn out.

“My mother and sisters begged me to stay,” Sehun said at length, as though he were talking to himself. “Not Ferhin, though. She said that I would be happier if I left.”

Aaden wanted to reach out and take hold of Sehun’s hand, but once again, he resisted. “You ought to get out of those wet clothes. You might catch a cold.”

Sehun was not listening. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the bare wall in the living room.

Sighing, Aaden brought a hand up to undo the laces of the cloak that was resting on Sehun’s shoulders. As his knuckles brushed against the boy’s collarbones, he tried not to fumble. Sehun voiced no objections as Aaden removed the damp cloak from his back.

Even though they had brought down each other’s walls once, they were all put back up now. The barriers were thicker than they had ever been. While Aaden had his grievances and concerns, it was as clear as day that Sehun had his own share of demurral and lack of confidence.

Aaden rose to his full height and left Sehun for a moment before returning with a clean shirt and a pair of trousers. “Here.” He handed them to Sehun. “They are Reyan’s. They should fit you fine.”

Sehun accepted the clothes and stood up. With a limp in his slow strides, he wobbled toward the washroom, following Aaden’s direction.

As he started stripping down with his back turned to Aaden, taking off an article of clothing one at a time, Aaden could not look away from the boy’s naked body. It was so much paler than he remembered it to be. And it was certainly much, _much_ paler compared to Aaden’s own skin, which was tanner than anything, having toiled hard in the unforgiving heat of the capital for years.

Realizing that he was ogling while the boy was not looking, Aaden finally managed to turn away, clenching and releasing his clammy hands nervously at his sides.

“You should shut the door,” he said.

After a moment, Sehun muttered, “There isn’t one.” The disappointment in his voice was so thick that even Aaden was embarrassed.

Of course. Aaden wanted to hit himself in the head. He had not fixed the hinges on the door to be able to put it up just yet. Besides, Reyan never shut the door when he bathed. Aaden never really cared for such formalities either. He had been a soldier for most of his life. And the last thing soldiers bothered themselves with was naked butts.

“I’m sorry about that,” Aaden murmured, choking a little. He hurried away from there to let Sehun wash himself in peace.

Though the rain had not stopped, Aaden stepped out of the cottage momentarily so that he could find Blackfire a decent shelter to keep him from the rain. Hitching the horse to the pole under the roof the jutted out from a side of the cottage, Aaden gently stroked the horse’s wet mane and pressed his forehead against his beast’s. He had missed Blackfire. And judging from the way the animal nudged its nose against his head, Aaden could tell that Blackfire had missed him just as much.

He would never forget the day he had mounted the majestic black beast for the first time. As Captain of the King’s Guard. He must have been in his early twenties. Since then, he had led men in nearly ten battles as the Commander of the Slavarian Army and had held peace at the palace as the Captain. Through it all, Blackfire had been there with him.

Before he could get any wetter, he unbuckled the saddle and freed Blackfire of his burdens. He gave the beast one last stroke and then hurried back inside before he could be completely drenched.

Once he was inside, he shut the door behind him and combed his fingers through his hair to shake off any raindrops clinging to the strands. He then lighted a couple of candles for some light. When he turned around, he found Sehun walking out of the washroom, bathed and dried, clothed in the shirt Aaden had loaned him. But he had decided to leave the trousers unworn.

Aaden gulped, forcing his gaze to not to wander to Sehun’s exposed thighs. Regardless, his eyes fell on the red scar on Sehun’s leg and he frowned.

He wished he owned a salve of some sort to ease the boy’s discomfort.

“I am tired,” Sehun said, keeping his head low, refusing to meet Aaden’s eyes. Which was fine by Aaden. He did not think that he could look at those eyes that weakened him every single time right now.

“You should get some rest and sleep,” said Aaden. “You can sleep here.” He hurried over to his pallet to neaten the bedclothes.

“Is this… yours?” asked Sehun.

Aaden nodded.

“Where will you sleep, then?”

Aaden’s throat tightened as he wondered if Sehun’s query were a suggestion for them to share the small pallet. It would not fit them both, but they lay on top of each other, it could be managed.

Aaden shook the obscene thought away and rose back to his feet. “You sleep here. I’ll… sleep inside with Reyan.”

Sehun’s eyes widened with something like a pleasant surprise. “Reyan’s here?” There was a bit of excitement in his tired voice.

“Where else would he be?” retorted Aaden with an arched eyebrow.

Sehun chewed on his lower lip for a second, rubbing his arm with a hand. “Of course. That was a stupid question.”

Aaden chose not to make a comment on that. “We will talk in the morning if it’d please you. For now, you should rest your spine.”

Sehun did not argue with that. He sat down on the pallet and finally raised his head to look up at Aaden. “Am I… troubling you?”

The way he asked the question made it difficult for Aaden to look at him. It sounded as though the boy really had no intention on causing Aaden any more trouble than he already had.

“I did ask you to come to me when you have made up your mind and gave you an address, did I not?” said Aaden.

Sehun dropped his gaze once more. “Just so you know,” he said in a low voice. “I had… made up my mind that day. But… it would not be fair for me to elope without having told my family anything. They would worry.”

“I understand,” said Aaden, although his mind was still brooding on the word ‘elope’. Had Aaden given a promise without giving it a second thought? He knew Sehun leaving his home to be with Aaden would birth countless hearsays and harsh bruits that would hurt them both in the long run.

He no longer knew what was right or wrong anymore. And he certainly did not know if _this_ would be right for him. Could he trust Sehun? But then again, he was no longer a Captain. What could the boy possibly benefit from this if it were all just another production?

Part of Aaden ached when he realized that he was suspecting the person his heart still loved so dearly. That was perhaps the cruellest thing about it all.

“If I am troubling you,” Sehun then said, sounding more miserable than he had been all night. “I will go away.”

“Did I say anything about you troubling me?” Aaden spat, his tone harsher than he had intended.

He was not sure what had him so riled up. Perhaps he was mad at himself more than anything. Perhaps he was frustrated that he was no longer confident in his decisions and judgments.

Sehun fell silent. He said nothing more.

Huffing heavily, Aaden then murmured, “Sleep. We will talk in the morning when we have regained our strength.”

He could have offered a better comfort, but he did not know if Sehun deserved it. The possibility of Sehun being here just because he had nowhere else to go while he was still in love with another man kept Aaden’s cynicism at an all time high. He had let his guard down once with this boy and had trusted him so much that it had destroyed him. Only a fool would repeat his mistakes.

He knew that his love for Sehun was still very young, but it was evident all the same. However, it did not mean that the love would not hurt him again.

So, why was he happy that Sehun was here? If he were so suspicious of the boy’s intentions, should he have not turned him away at the door? Was that not a more sure-fire way of making certain that he did not get used again?

But instead, Aaden’s heart was full for once in a very long time. Sehun was right in front of him, so close at reach. He was on Aaden’s bed, which must smell like him. He wondered if Sehun would like that.

It felt like a torturous limbo between trust and distrust. His head told him to distrust. But his heart sang otherwise.

Aaden had listened to his heart twice in his life. Both times, he had gotten scorched.

As he walked away, he heard Sehun’s weight shift on the pallet. Even as he entered Reyan’s room, where his brother was sound asleep on his bed, he heard the soft whimpers of Sehun’s muffled sobbing.

* * *

Aaden roused the next morning, just minutes before dawn, in a complete daze. The sore in his lower back made it nearly impossible for him to sit up. He eventually managed it and started scrubbing his beard with a hand, wondering if last night had been nothing but a strange dream. But he would not be waking up on the floor of his little brother’s room.

He glanced over to the bed and frowned at the empty mattress. Had Reyan woken up before he did? With his heart in his mouth, Aaden rose from the ground and popped a few joints in his shoulders and back before he meandered his way out of the room.

The gentle light of daybreak poured in through the slits of the windows as he walked into the living room. He was worried that he might not find Sehun where he had left the boy last night. Especially after the last conversation they had had.

He halted in his tracks when he found Reyan, crouched on the ground beside the pallet, arms wrapped around his legs. He was staring at Sehun. Aaden wondered just for how long Reyan had been sitting there like that, watching Sehun sleep.

“Reyan,” Aaden called in a stern tone, as though to reprimand Reyan’s behaviour. His brother looked up at him and frowned.

He pointed at Sehun with his forefinger and whispered, “Honeypearl.”

Along with curiosity, there was surprise in Reyan’s expression. “Come,” Aaden ordered. “You must take your bath before your lessons.”

Reyan rose from his crouch, keeping his attention on Sehun before he walked away. “Honeypearl,” he said again, pointing back at Sehun.

Ignoring the boy’s unuttered question, Aaden dragged his brother into the washroom, where he told Reyan to take his clothes off and get into the tub. With a frown etched to his brows, Reyan obeyed.

“It’s very cold,” he whined, looking up at Aaden with big, watery eyes.

“Would you rather smell bad among the other kids?” asked Aaden, pouring another bucket of water into the tub.

Reyan shook his head. “They already don’t want to be my friends.” He dipped his head low, pouting sadly. “Except one. Maybe. I don’t know.”

Aaden paused for a second to heave a sigh. “You must wash yourself clean.” He then handed Reyan the lye soap which smelled of wormwood and berries. “And do not forget behind your ears.”

“I know how to wash myself!” his brother yapped at him, scowling now. “I’m not an idiot.”

“I never said that you were one,” said Aaden with a hand on the back of his brother’s head. Reyan shoved the hand away.

Sighing once more, Aaden grabbed the shaving razor from the shelf and turned to his brother again. While Reyan soaped himself thoroughly, leaving no spot unwashed, Aaden carefully shaved Reyan’s jaw and cheeks before sliding the razor lower.

“Do not move or the blade might cut you,” Aaden warned his brother when the latter started singing.

Reyan stopped at once and stilled, letting Aaden finish without any hindrance. Once he was done, he stepped away from the tub.

“What about you, Brother?” asked the boy. “Aren’t you going to shave? You look like an animal. A big, hairy animal.”

Aaden consciously rubbed his thick beard before running his hand through his hair. He could certainly use a haircut, too.

“That’s enough,” he said, grabbing hold of Reyan’s arm. “Get out of the water.”

“Okay.”

Reyan stood up and carefully climbed out of the tub. He began to shake like a leaf at once, reaching for the towel.

“So cold,” he mewled, teeth chattering. “How did he come in?”

It took Aaden a moment to understand that Reyan was talking about Sehun. He did not look at his brother as he muttered, “You ought to get dressed quick.”

Reyan did not press him for an answer. He wrapped the towel around his upper body and waddled out of the washroom, leaving a trail of droplets behind on the floor.

Gripping the edges of the water basin, Aaden hung his head and took in a few deep breaths. Then cupping some cold water in his hands, he splashed it on his face.

* * *

Once Reyan had left for his lessons, Aaden got ready for work. He was moving slower than usual. He wanted to be here when Sehun woke up, but he also could not afford to not show up at the stonemason’s workshop without prior notice.

Fortunately, Sehun was stirring and moaning on the verge of awakening when Aaden sauntered into the living room, lacing up his work shirt.

He eventually cracked an eye open and squinted at the patch of morning sunlight on the floor. Then slowly, he raised his sleepy gaze to look at Aaden.

Almost instantly, he sat upright with a jolt as a deep blush coloured his cheeks. He wiped a corner of his mouth and winced, realizing that the side of his face hurt.

In the daylight, his bruises looked much worse. It turned Aaden’s stomach to find such horrid marks on the boy’s once unblemished and pearlescent skin.

“Good morning,” Sehun mumbled, rifling his fingers through his mussed hair to neaten it, as though to not to look like an utter embarrassment in front of Aaden.

Quite frankly, Aaden had never found the boy more appealing. He was all dishevelled and vulnerable. His state reminded Aaden of the night they had been together, limbs tangled, breaths mingled. That night, Aaden had felt as though nothing could stop them, when in fact, it had all been a lie.

He dropped to a crouch before Sehun and gently took hold of the boy’s chin. Lifting it, he met Sehun’s eyes with a frustrated lour.

“I have half the mind to ride for Novalon forthwith and give that father of yours a well-deserved belting until his hide came off,” he spat in a low growl.

It somehow made Sehun smile a little. But it quickly died. He lowered his head again. “I deserved it,” he whispered.

Aaden could not believe his ears. “I beg your pardon?”

When Sehun said nothing for moments, Aaden exhaled heavily and gently brushed a lock of hair from Sehun’s face, tucking it behind his ear.

That made Sehun blush even harder. Aaden delighted in the reaction. These blushes could not be fabricated, could they? His cheeks could not colour so intensely at Aaden’s touch if it weren’t real.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as softly as he could. In spite of it all, he did not want to be the one to cause Sehun any more agony. He was here now. And he wanted to care for the boy in any way he could. Even if he had no reason to trust Sehun.

“It stings a little,” Sehun sighed, almost disinterestedly. “But it isn’t so bad.”

Aaden looked for the bruise on Sehun’s thigh. He did not miss the way Sehun had turned his flushed face away as Aaden’s eyes raked his uncovered thighs and legs.

“I must go to work,” Aaden said disappointedly. “Reyan saw you in the morning.”

“Did he?” Sehun rasped and then frowned. “I would have said hello had I known.”

“He is at his lessons now. But he will be back in the afternoon.”

Sehun surveyed Aaden’s face and then his body for a length. “Your work,” he said. It was a question.

“I work for a stonemason,” said Aaden.

Sehun’s face wilted at once, paling so hard that it pained Aaden to look at the guilt that was painted in those glistening eyes.

“You work… for a stonemason,” Sehun murmured, looking away.

“Is that not good enough? I know I’m no Prince, but at least I was a Captain of the King’s Guard and the Commander of the army before, wasn’t I? Are you disappointed?”

As soon as Aaden had asked that, he knew he was in the wrong. Sehun glanced back at him with twice the pain in his gaze.

“Do you think I only spread my legs for men in power?” asked Sehun point-blank, his voice thick with resentment and fatigue.

Aaden gripped his jaw. “I really must get going.”

As he stood up, Sehun drew heavy breaths, keeping his eyes low, as though to hide the tears in them.

“If you did not believe me, and if you would not forgive me, why did you tell me to come here? I meant it when I said that I loved you.”

“No, you did not,” Aaden spat, scowling down at the boy.

Sehun seemed taken aback by the accusation. “You cannot speak for what I feel for you.”

“No, I cannot. But I do know that _love_ does not sprout out of nowhere and all of a sudden.”

“It was not out of nowhere and all of a sudden.”

Aaden scoffed. “You were in love with Prince Alvar and what? The very next day you came to the conclusion that you love me?”

Sehun looked at him so poignantly as if he had taken a hard blow to his face. “If you don’t believe me, then… what am I… doing here?”

Aaden rubbed his bearded jaw and huffed. “I am going to let you decide that for yourself, Sehun.”

With that, he stormed out of the cottage and slammed the door shut behind him with more force than necessary. Then he stood there for a while, clenching and unclenching his hands a few times, his breathing ragged and shallow. He was not the kind of man to react so unsparingly. He was never one to let his words roll from his tongue without control. But he supposed the grievance within him had gotten the best of him today.

He almost went back inside and apologized.

* * *

He was completely distracted at work, not that it needed much attention span in the first place. But he could not stop thinking about Sehun. He tried to stop brooding on the debacle from this morning and attempted to get through the rest of the day. It was childish of him to intentionally cut Sehun with his words and then storm off before the boy could get a word in to defend himself.

The only other time he had been so irrationally agitated was during his rows with…

He turned the painful memories away and looked at the stonemason’s wife. She was watching him keenly from where she sat, perched on the wooden bench under the shade of the workshop. She smiled in his way. Aaden looked around for her husband. The man was too busy with the bookkeeping to notice anything else.

“She has an eye for all the handsome-lookin’ ones,” said one of the two other boys who worked there. It was the first time he had spoken to Aaden. He did not look much older than Reyan. And his name was Ollivar, Aaden had gathered from the occasional berating he received from the stonemason.

“What does that mean?” asked Aaden, lifting the bulk of rocks from the ground.

He might not care much for stonecraft, but he deeply respected all the men who were involved in it. It was a form of art, he had heard the stonemason say a few times. Stonemasonry required nearly seven years of apprenticeship. Even Aaden’s service in the military was not as half as long. So much work went into stonecraft, starting from the quarrymen and the sawyers to the carvers and the masons.

“Oh, do not play coy,” snorted the boy. “You must have noticed the way she makes sheep’s eyes at you.”

Aaden huffed. “She is a married woman.”

“So? Word on the street is that she’s already slept with half the men from around here.”

Aaden did not wish to hear this. He was not one to participate in acts of muckraking. Even so, if that was the hearsay circling the woman, why was the stonemason still married to her, then?

“Does her husband know that?” Aaden asked.

The boy chuckled, picking at his tufted hair. “I’d wager that he does. But she comes from a big and rich family, you see. Her father supplies the business with a lot of resources.”

Aaden had an opinion on that, and he did not always have an opinion on anything that was not related to him. But this knifed him deep. How could a betrayal as such be overlooked just because the compensation was rewarding?

His mouth tasted oddly bitter.

“Don’t you want her?” asked Ollivar.

Aaden glanced back at the woman with a newfound repulsion. “Let’s just say she isn’t my type,” he replied sarcastically.

Ollivar liked that answer. He smirked at Aaden and bowed his head. “She might pressure you for it, though. Here’s a warning.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m Olli, by the way.” He flashed a toothy grin along with the introduction.

Aaden offered his own name in a curt but polite response.

He then carried on with his work, but for the remaining hours, he continued to think of Sehun. As much as he hated to admit it, he could not wait to head back home and see the boy again.

* * *

When he reached home later in the evening, he found neither Sehun nor Reyan around. Panic began to shoot through his bloodstreams. He called his brother’s name out a few times, searching the room and the kitchen before he wended over to the backyard. Then he heard Reyan’s soft giggles coming from the side of the cottage, where Aaden had left Blackfire last night.

Much to his relief, he found his brother and Sehun crouched under the awning, both stroking the horse’s thick mane. Blackfire did not seem to mind the entertainment. He appeared to be quite amused by the way the two boys showered him with attention. And apples.

“So beautiful. Like my brother,” commented Reyan, giving Blackfire’s head a careful pat. Aaden had taught him once a long time ago that horses were easily spooked if they were not used to something. Although Reyan did not possess the prowess to ride a horse, he was always enticed by one and made it a point to be kind to them all.

“Like your brother,” Sehun muttered, a sheepish grin quirking a corner of his lips. He held out another apple to Blackfire. They must have found the apples in the kitchen.

“Brother is like a horse,” Reyan continued to muse. “Big and strong. Not like me.”

“Well, one difference is that this horse expresses more emotions than your brother ever would,” sighed Sehun.

Aaden stilled but blinked at the boy with a baffled look. Though this was not the first time someone had accused him of not displaying enough emotions, Aaden certainly believed he had been more open to Sehun with his emotions than he had with anyone else. That was what got him here.

And sure as hell did showcased his emotions well enough when he stormed off this morning after that argument. And what about the time when he had literally hit Sehun across the face for hurting his brother?

What sort of emotions was he not expressing to Sehun?

He noticed that Sehun was wearing the trousers he had lent the boy last night. And he looked a lot less pale than he had been when Aaden had left for work this morning. It brought Aaden further relief.

“Besides, you are strong, too,” said Sehun a minute later.

“No, I am not,” Reyan argued adamantly. “The preceptor’s son called me scrawny and weak yesterday.”

The preceptor’s son? Aaden was not sure he had heard Reyan mention such him before this. Why was he sharing this with Sehun and not his own brother?

“Well, he is wrong,” said Sehun.

“No, he isn’t,” Reyan murmured, lowered his gaze.

Sehun frowned at him. “There is more to a man than just strength, Reyan.”

“Like what?” Reyan looked genuinely curious and a little surprised by Sehun’s statement. “All men must be strong. And tough. I will never be a man. I will always be a boy.”

“Well, I’m not as strong or tough as your brother.”

“But you are pretty. Very pretty.”

The offhanded compliment crimsoned Sehun’s face.

“I am neither strong nor pretty. And above all, I know I am stupid.”

“Do not say that about yourself,” Sehun said gently, though his tone had an edge to it. He raised his hand that was holding the apple and put it on Reyan’s shoulder. “I think you are smart and kind. Perhaps not in a way that others would understand, but you are not stupid.”

Aaden was touched by the solace and heartening Sehun offered his brother. However, he was also deeply wounded by the way Reyan spoke of himself. He had never heard the boy sound so sober and lucid. And he certainly had not heard of Reyan’s grievances.

“Reyan,” he called then in a stern growl, announcing his presence at last.

Both heads turned to him at once. While Sehun shot up to his full height, Reyan continued to stroke Blackfire, though he kept his eyes on his older brother.

“Get inside,” Aaden ordered. He usually asked the boy about his lessons when he came home. But today, he was more intent on seeing to the friction he had caused between him and Sehun this morning. It had been unfair, especially when the boy was still devastated from having just left his home and family.

The relaxed expression on Sehun’s face collapsed as soon as he met Aaden’s sharp, green gaze.

“Reyan,” he snarled again when the boy did not respond.

Then heaving a sigh, Reyan stood up and wandered back into the cottage, mumbling something under his breath.

Sehun looked more worried and nervous now, left alone in Aaden’s company. He lowered his eyes, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

Aaden opened his mouth and closed it again, unsure of how to begin his apology, even though he knew that he owed Sehun one.

But then he was reminded of the moment when the shackles were placed on his wrists while Sehun claimed that he had no reason to sacrifice himself and that he was no one to Aaden. How could he have been so cruel even in that moment to so blatantly not acknowledge the feelings Aaden had for him? He had forced Aaden to say it out loud. To pronounce his love for the boy in front of everyone. How could he have not gauged the amount of affection Aaden had harboured for him when he was making love to Sehun in the dry heat of southern wind? When he had practically lost his mind when he saw the boy hurt? When he had let his blinding anger put a sword through that mercenary for just having laid his hand on Sehun?

Had Aaden’s love been mistaken for lust the entire time Sehun had been with him?

All of these thoughts made it even more difficult to believe Sehun’s confessions back in the tavern in Novalon.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun muttered while Aaden was still debating with his own conscience. The boy lifted his gaze and looked at Aaden forlornly. “I understand that this is awkward. For the both of us.”

That had to be the understatement of the century.

Sehun sounded more clearheaded as he continued. “Everything between us… was rash and… too much at once. I don’t know what I could say that would make you trust me, but I really don’t know if I am worthy of that trust either.”

Aaden focused on his own breathing for a second. Then exhaling heavily, he said, “I hadn’t meant what I said this morning.”

Sehun smiled at him sadly. “You would not have said it if you hadn’t meant it. You are not the kind of man to choose speech before thought.”

“Perhaps you don’t know me enough, then.”

Sehun’s smile faltered. “I really don’t.” He looked away for a moment, staring at the tufts of grass grown in the backyard. “I might need some time after all.”

Aaden frowned at this. Not because he disagreed, because he needed plenty of time to recover from the betrayal, too. But what could Sehun need the rest from?

And then the answer came to him. The boy had done everything because he had been in love with Prince Alvar. Perhaps the blame could not all be pertained to him. Aaden knew all about Alvar’s charms and interests in young lads and girls. He knew enough about the Prince’s delight in toying with their innocence. But Sehun could not have. Whatever he did, he did it out of love. Out of hope. He was not the kind to hurt someone. He had mistaken Aaden’s love for lust and believed to be taking advantage of the latter. Before he had even healed from such deceit, he was already professing his love for Aaden. His youthfulness and naivety had never been so prominent.

Sehun was a hopeless romantic if nothing else. He had been so vocal about what he expected from love before. He wanted to be loved. Like in the storybooks. Like how the stars love the night. How the breeze loves the sea. With every inch of one’s breath. Aaden did. He just did not know how he could manifest it any more than he already had.

“So do I,” Aaden sighed, rubbing his forehead. “It seems that we have jumped in and out of everything too hastily. Perhaps it would not be the worst thing to give it a… respite.”

Even though Aaden had agreed with him, Sehun did not seem all too pleased by the response. He lowered his eyes, which were full of disappointment. It was as though he had been expecting Aaden to disagree and convince him that they were moving in the right pace.

“But I do not want you to leave,” Aaden added at length, advancing towards the boy.

Sehun raised his gaze and blinked at Aaden languidly. He was waiting for more.

Aaden gave what the boy was clearly longing to hear. “I… want you to stay. Here. With me.”

Although it brought a deep flush to the boy’s cheekbones, Sehun still seemed relieved to hear that. “Only if you are sure that I would not be a burden.”

Aaden sighed. As he stepped closer, he took a better look at the bruise on Sehun’s cheek under the evening sun. The thick, bluish red strip laid right on top of another faint, smaller scar. To come to think of it, Aaden had noticed the scar back when he had visited Sehun in Novalon.

The idea of it not being the first time Sehun’s father had implemented such merciless forms of ‘punishing’ on the boy enraged Aaden even more.

Battle scars and wounds were worn with pride among men. Aaden too had been immensely proud of the scars he had gotten when he was even younger than Sehun. Each of those scars carried its own brand of victory. But to see such wounds on someone he cared for pained and angered him. He wished that he had been able to prevent it somehow.

Even when Sehun was training in the King’s Guard, Aaden had always worried that the boy might get hurt. Which was silly and unreasonable as no one could learn or train without some degree of pain. But that was not the same as receiving such punishments from one’s own family.

Aaden protected Reyan aggressively. He could never imagine inflicting such pain on his brother, no matter what. What Sehun’s father had done was unforgivable.

But then again, Aaden knew that no father would tolerate the kind of disgrace his son had brought him and his family. Not to mention that the Avniel family was well-celebrated all across the country for producing the best wine in all of Slavaria. Everybody knew their brand. Everybody knew who Sehun’s father was. Even so, Aaden could not find it in his heart to justify what the man had done.

He lifted a hand to Sehun’s face but dropped it before he could touch the boy. Sehun looked like he wanted Aaden to cup his cheek and run his thumb along the bruise.

Aaden sighed and clenched his fist instead. The boy glanced down to Aaden’s wound fist and exhaled a heavy breath, as though he were entertaining a remark in the privacy of his own thoughts.

“I hope you are hungry,” Aaden eventually said, breaking the torturous silence between them. “I got some peppercorn flatbread and roasted duck meat.”

Sehun bowed his head. “I am famished.”

“Good. Come.”

They wended their back way inside. While Sehun and Reyan ate, Aaden retreated to the bath to wash away the grime and dust that were sticking to his hair and the dry sweat on his skin.

When he returned to the kitchen where he found his brother and Sehun seated on the floor, sharing the food Aaden had gotten them, something twisted almost painfully in Aaden’s chest. It made breath catch in his throat. He wanted to protect them both at all costs. Up until Sehun had showed up in his room the other night, Reyan was the only person Aaden had cared for. Of course, he had had responsibilities toward the country and the royal family, but that was duty. Now, he realized that he had one more person in this world that he would lay down his life for. And he had already demonstrated his willingness to do that once.

Unlike Reyan who sat with his legs folded at the front, Sehun was sitting on them, legs folded back. “More?” he asked Reyan, tearing a piece of the flatbread.

Reyan nodded and took the bread from Sehun’s fingers. But he did not eat it. He placed it on his plate along with the messy stack of pieces of flatbread. He was saving them.

Sehun had not started eating either. He was simply tearing the flatbreads in small pieces the way Reyan liked while they both presumably awaited Aaden. Of course, Reyan did not like eating without his brother unless it was absolutely unavoidable. Some nights, when Aaden could not drag himself away from work at the palace, Reyan would go to bed with an empty stomach.

“Will you be staying with us forever?” asked Reyan.

Sehun turned his gaze away, frowning. “I don’t know,” he muttered quietly.

Aaden walked into the kitchen and sat down with them. “Reyan, eat up,” he said.

His brother nodded his head and started eating at once. Aaden looked to Sehun next. The boy stared back at him for a moment too long that it made Aaden a little nervous. And not many things in this world could manage to make _him_ nervous.

Sehun surveyed Aaden’s damp hair that was pushed back. Then his eyes raked the sternum of Aaden’s haired chest that was exposed by the shirt he had not bothered to lace up.

Realizing that he was staring, the boy glanced away, biting his lower lip. It did not help Aaden to look at how embarrassed Sehun was. He cleared his throat and started eating.

“I imagine this is not the type of food you are used to,” he said after a while, hoping to diffuse the tension between them.

“It is delicious,” Sehun said in reply, licking the stickiness from his fingers. It looked so obscene that Aaden had a hard time turning a string of terribly lewd thoughts away. But Sehun did genuinely look satisfied with the food. “It is not any worse than the food I’ve had in the past few moons.”

“Well, I am glad.”

Sehun made a face at Aaden.

“What?” asked Aaden, eyebrows furrowed.

Sehun quickly shook his head. “Nothing.”

Reyan paid no attention to their conversations. He rarely took any interest in other people’s affairs. Besides, he must be far too hungry to focus on anything but the food. Aaden handed him another hunk of the duck meat.

“How was school today?” Aaden asked when it got too quiet that all that he could hear was the sound of Sehun’s tongue gently lapping against his lips.

Aaden did not usually mind the silence. In fact, he sought after it. But tonight, he’d welcome any distraction.

Reyan hesitated to answer at first. “It was fine,” he murmured eventually, keeping his eyes down on the plate.

“Are you… fitting in well with the others?” Aaden doubted that he could. The children who went to take lessons from the preceptor were much, much younger than Reyan. They were all twelve and thirteen.

Reyan only shrugged in response.

“It is wonderful that you are learning now, Reyan,” Sehun commented then with a smile. “I remember when I had my first governess. She was not very nice, but she was a smart woman. One time, I dropped her afternoon tea and she was so furious that she made me read boring proses all night long.”

Reyan gasped. “You were a naughty student?”

“No, I hadn’t done it on purpose. I was never naughty. I did as I was told. Well, most of the time.”

Aaden was enjoying listening to this. He did not know a lot about Sehun. Perhaps one day, he would know everything about the boy.

“When did you not do as you were told?” asked Reyan interestedly.

Sehun hesitated to answer this. But when he finally did, he sighed and did it with a tired look on his face. “When my father is the one telling me to do things.”

“Things like what?”

“Boyish things,” Sehun admitted. “Swordplay. Roughhousing. Never taking a bath. Smelling like rotten eggs. Not caring about the appearance. Growing hair everywhere on the body. Cussing and scowling like Southwater pirates. Giving no importance whatsoever to hygiene. Objectifying every woman that crosses—”

He stopped himself suddenly, eyes turning to Aaden, as though he had just realized that Aaden was in the same room as him. Instantly, his face reddened and so did the tip of his ears. Aaden only gawked at him stupidly, wondering if this was how the boy thought of him. Smelly, unhygienic, hairy, rough.

“I do not mean… all men, of course,” Sehun then added in a soft, embarrassed whisper. “Some… are nice.” He looked so mortified that he could not even raise his head.

“Like my brother?” asked Reyan. “He does not smell, even though he has hair everywhere.”

“I think Sehun already knows that,” Aaden remarked with a stoic face, taking a bite of the flatbread.

Sehun looked like he might just explode from the way his face was crimsoning. “I am full now,” he muttered, pushing the plate away.

Later that evening, while Aaden made sure that Reyan got into bed, his brother caught his arm and asked, “Are you going to sleep here tonight too so that Honeypearl can sleep in your bed?”

Aaden nodded. “The situation is not ideal, but I will get another pallet soon. I also realize we might need a table for the kitchen soon.”

“You never told me… why he is here,” Reyan then said. He did not look upset. Just curious.

Aaden scratched the back of his head. “He needed a place to stay.”

He waited for Reyan to say something, but the boy did not.

“Does it bother you that he is here with us?” Aaden asked. He wanted to make sure that Reyan was all right with Sehun staying here. This was also his home.

Reyan nodded his head. “He was crying when I came home earlier.”

That stopped Aaden in his tracks.

“A lot,” his brother added. “I didn’t ask him why. But he looked very sad. It made me… sad.”

Aaden sighed deeply. “Do not worry yourself over it,” he told his brother and stroked his head gently. “He will be all right now that he is here.”

Reyan was understanding. More understanding than Aaden had imagined him to be. It was both surprising and comforting.

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor,” Reyan said as Aaden started to walk out of the room.

“The bed would not fit us both,” sighed Aaden. “It’s all right. Won’t be the first time I slept on the floor. Sleep well.”

“Good night, Brother.”

Extinguishing the candles in the room, Aaden made his way to the pallet in the living room where he expected to find Sehun. And the boy was there, sitting up with his arms hugging his legs to his chest.

He lifted his head and looked up at Aaden.

Swallowing hard, Aaden took his seat on the pallet beside Sehun. He noticed the slight tremor in Sehun’s shoulders, probably aware of the heat Aaden’s body radiated.

When he pulled out a small, fragile bundle from his pocket, Sehun eyed it curiously. Unwrapping the cloth wrapped around the little vial, Aaden shifted his weight on the pallet so that he was facing Sehun now.

“I got something from the local physician for your…” he trailed off, looking to Sehun’s face. The soft light from the candles on the windowsill danced against the boy’s cheek, illuminating the discoloured strip of skin. “It’s a salve.”

“You should not have,” Sehun murmured. “It does not even hurt anymore.”

“It is supposed to help prevent scars,” said Aaden, uncorking the vial. A thick, minty vapour wafted from the vial. Aaden looked at Sehun again, searching for a sign of approval. Sehun closed his eyes and gave a shy nod of his head.

Spilling a careful amount of the salve onto his fingers, Aaden took hold of Sehun’s chin with his other hand. The salve was cool against his callused fingers as he raised them to the bruised side of Sehun’s face.

Sehun closed his eyes, lips parted slightly. Taking in a deep breath, Aaden brushed his fingers against the mark on Sehun’s cheek, applying the salve gently. The little shudders that passed through Sehun’s body as Aaden leaned closer, thumb cautiously swiping along the bruise.

Their faces were so close that all that Aaden would have to do to kiss Sehun’s lips was dip his head a little. “Okay?” he asked in a low whisper, releasing the boy’s chin.

Eyes fluttering open slowly, Sehun bowed his head.

Aaden was reluctant to pull his hand away from Sehun’s face, so he let his fingers linger on the jaw for a moment too long. He felt Sehun’s cheek grow warmer by the second under his touch.

They had so much to talk about and yet, neither of them could find the words. Aaden was not good at expressing his feelings, yes. But he doubted that he had not expressed enough when it came to Sehun. No one had made him express himself so much.

But Sehun clearly wanted more.

“You have not forgiven me, have you?” Sehun asked at one point, keeping his voice low.

Aaden frowned and let his hand drop from the boy’s face. “I don’t think I really blame you, Sehun.”

“But you do.”

It was difficult for Aaden to look deep into his heart and see for himself if he truly blamed Sehun or not. “You were young. Naïve. I have committed my own share of mistakes at your age,” he said at last.

“But not the same kind of mistakes as I have,” Sehun muttered, turning his face away. Aaden thought that he saw some tears welling up in the boy’s eyes. “I am… very sorry.”

“I know you are,” Aaden sighed. “But what I mean is that _I_ should have been more careful. You did it for… love.”

“So did you,” Sehun breathed out.

Aaden pinned him with a vacant stare. “I did not make false promises when I told you that I would never let you go, Sehun,” he said after a moment, curling his fingers around Sehun that was resting on the pallet between them. “I mean to keep that promise, provided that you allow me.”

“I want you,” Sehun said, head dropped low. The confession was as blatant as all of the boy’s pronouncements. Unlike Aaden, Sehun had no trouble expressing his desires. It always left Aaden aghast.

“You’ve said that before,” he let out and glanced away.

“I only wish that I had met you long before I had met…” He hesitated to finish the sentence, as though even the name of the man made him lose his voice.

“And you already know that I want you, too,” Aaden said next, looking back at the boy. “But you must be absolutely certain that this isn’t just some infatuation. I do not want to be a man you could leave behind once you decide that you have tired of me.”

That offended Sehun. His eyes turned sad. Aaden’s chest clenched. “I am not a little child. I do not fall in love with every man that crosses my path.”

Aaden deserved that rejoinder. “That is not what I meant,” he said. “At your age, it is… easy to give in to desire. And you… you seek comfort in others because you could not find it at your own home.”

Sehun turned his head away, frowning at the floorboards now. “I don’t know what I could do to win your trust. If it can be won at all.”

Aaden slipped a hand around the back of Sehun’s neck and drew him close. The boy shivered at the gentle touch, panicked eyes instantly meeting Aaden’s.

“It can be done,” Aaden exhaled. “I do not question your loyalty. I only want you to know it for yourself that I am truly… what you want. And that process takes longer than you think. You still do not know much about me.”

“And you don’t know much about _me_,” said Sehun. “Yet you claim that you love me. You were… ready to put your neck on the line to save mine. You said that you loved me… like in the storybooks.”

“Yet _you_ asked me why I would do such a thing for you, claiming that you were no one to me,” Aaden countered. Sehun’s face paled as Aaden’s grip loosened on the nape of his neck. “We do not have to rush into this, even if we want to be with each other. I do not think we have anything to lose by taking a little time. I am willing to give you that time. To heal, to be certain. I am not going anywhere in the meantime, if that’s what you are worried about.”

After a moment, Sehun finally gave in and nodded. He lifted his hands to Aaden’s chest and grabbed the shirt. “I understand.”

Aaden brushed his lips on the boy’s forehead. Though he desperately wanted to feel those warm, soft mouth against his own once again, he pulled back and rose from the pallet.

He paused when Sehun caught his hand, looking up at him forlornly. “Why don’t you… sleep here?” asked the boy. “With me. We… won’t need to do anything. Just sleep.”

Aaden almost conceded defeat. Sucking in a heavy breath, he shook his head and withdrew his hand from Sehun’s hungry grip. “Not tonight,” he said as tenderly as he could.

Sehun did not say anything more as Aaden walked away. That night, on the cold floor of Reyan’s room, Aaden had a tough time summoning sleep. He wondered about what the people, who lived near them, would think about an unfamiliar boy, who clearly looked like a Novali, living with Aaden and his brother. The hearsays would spread, and it would not be long before everyone discovered the scandalous news about the former Captain of the King’s Guard. More than his own pride, Aaden wanted to fiercely protect Sehun’s dignity most of all.

* * *

# C H A P T E R T W O

It took a few days for Aaden to get used to Sehun’s being around. Even then, he failed to fully come to terms with the fact that Sehun was right there, so close at reach, and yet, they could do nothing more than just steal hungry glances at each other. Every morning, he got to look at the boy’s serene face. Every evening when he returned from work, Sehun was there, awaiting him with silent anticipation that mocked Aaden’s self-restraint.

Part of him still wanted to believe this was some sort of a dream, but the other part of him was convinced that only in reality could he feel so tormented and suffocated by the mere presence of someone he loved, especially when he could not take him for himself when he wanted. What was worse was that he knew that he _could_ in fact take Sehun whenever he wanted. The boy, even though had agreed to take the time to heal, always returned Aaden’s lustful gaze with twice the fervour. He would not object should Aaden go home one day and demand that the boy be his for the night.

On the fifth day, Aaden was kicking himself for agreeing to give each other some time to heal. All that he wanted to do whenever Sehun was in the same room as he was put his hands all over the boy, pull him close, and kiss him senseless.

He was grateful for the extra hours that were demanded of his labour at work. He no longer worried about leaving Reyan at home alone until late. Sehun was there to keep him company. As the days passed, Aaden learned that Sehun was more responsible than anyone would have thought him to be. He fed and kept Reyan company in the afternoon, and in the morning when Aaden was not around, he spent his time brushing Blackfire. And if Aaden were being honest, the longer he stayed away from Sehun, the easier it was for his self-restraint to hold himself back, although not even staying away from the boy helped Aaden keep his thoughts clean and undistracted.

During lunchbreak at the stonemason’s workshop, Aaden was joined by Olli and the other boy, Castro. The way they talked without rest reminded Aaden of the men at the barracks. Most of the time, Aaden did not listen to their conversations, as he was lost in his own, loud thoughts.

“What about you?” asked Olli at one point, brushing a sweaty lock of hair from his face.

Aaden arched an eyebrow at him, indicating that he had no clue what they were talking about.

“The Marvelling Marionettes,” said Olli. “Are you going to the show?”

“What show?” asked Aaden confusedly.

“The marionette show. Puppeteers from Taitenia. They put on a show in the town before going to the capital once a year,” explained Castro. “It is a big celebration. There will be vendors with sweet and savoury treats from everywhere. All the people from the villages nearby will be there, looking for cheap dark beer.”

“It’s quite the scene,” added the other boy.

“A puppet show?” muttered Aaden. Reyan might enjoy that. Besides, it had been a long while since they had done anything fun. Perhaps it would be nice to go on an outing. He had not heard of the Marvelling Marionettes. But then again, Aaden used to take very little interest in the happenings outside the palace when they were not concerning the protection of the royal family and the country. “When is it?”

“Throughout this weekend.”

“My brother might like that,” said Aaden. Then falling silent, he wondered if Sehun would like it, too. His heart did a somersault in his chest, thinking of a scenario where he and Sehun went out together, strolling side by side, enjoying the evening scenery.

“At night, the streets will be thronging with gorgeous women from the brothel,” whispered Castro, a cheeky smirk playing on his lips. “Surely a man like you would benefit from that.”

Aaden only scoffed with half a smile, turning his head away. There was once a time when he too was Castro and Olli’s age and was excited by such ideas. Not about women, though. Some nights, in the camps he slept at as a soldier, he had pored endlessly on the possibilities of running his hand along a boy’s skin, wrapping him in his strong arms as their bodies arched into one another. But as he grew older, those ardent desires had dimmed and dwindled. He no longer thirsted for any men.

What happened with Sehun had caught him completely off guard. He had not expected himself to feel so deeply, to fall so hard for someone ever again. Especially not when he had made his mind up to focus on nothing but his duties to the country.

He got home a little later than usual. Only when he arrived at the cottage did he realize that he had forgotten to get dinner. And it was probably too late for him to head to the town to get anything now. The food stalls would already be closed.

As he walked inside, he heard Reyan’s voice coming from the kitchen. “That sounds so nice. You were like a Prince, then. So many jewelleries. So many nice coats.”

“Yes, I suppose,” Sehun sighed. “I used to think that I could never live without all that finery.”

Reyan was quiet for a moment. Then a softer voice, he said, “I never had any finery.”

As though with hesitance and reluctance, Sehun replied, “But you had your brother. It is very rare to find a man as sincere and kind as him.”

“Kind? Weren’t you just saying that my brother looks like he eats kittens for breakfast and threatens helpless babies with his stare?”

Aaden cleared his throat, announcing his arrival. Sehun turned around from where he was standing in the kitchen with a cup of water in his hands. His eyes widened as they watched Aaden cross his arms over his chest.

“What is this about me eating kittens and threatening babies?” asked Aaden, cocking an eyebrow.

Sehun’s face flushed red. “I… um…”

“Reyan, might I have a word with Sehun over here for a moment?”

“Oh, no,” Reyan whispered to Sehun. “You are in trouble.” With a frown that a mix between amusement and concern, Reyan skipped out of the kitchen.

“Reyan,” Aaden called again before his brother could leave them alone. “You should put your shoes on. We will go out for dinner tonight.”

Reyan’s eyes bulged out. “We are?!”

Aaden nodded.

“Okay!” He hurried away, whistling a merry tune.

Aaden then turned to Sehun, unfurling his arms, and started to cross the space between them. It was wise of Sehun to withdraw a step for every one that Aaden advanced. But soon, he was forced to a halt as his back hit the shelf.

“So, I look like someone who devours kittens?” asked Aaden, bringing his hands up to the shelf behind Sehun, so that the boy had nowhere to run.

Sehun met his gaze, lips trembling, cheeks florid and blushing. It was not fear that had his voice quavering. The boy was nervous, almost excited. “I hadn’t… meant it.”

“You would not have said it if you hadn’t meant it,” said Aaden, throwing back what the boy had once told him. Aaden struggled to maintain a stern expression.

Their bodies were only inches apart, their faces only a breath away. Aaden leaned closer, just to tease the boy further.

Sehun closed his eyes, his hands clenched into fists at his back. Aaden would only have to let their lips touch for the last bit of the boy’s composure to fall away.

But with a short-lived smirk, Aaden pulled away. “You ought to get ready, too.”

Eyes cracking open, Sehun looked at Aaden almost disappointedly. Then finally letting out the breath he had been holding, he said, “These are the only clothes I have.”

Aaden surveyed Sehun from head to toe. He was still clad in Reyan’s shirt and trousers. It was not a bad fitting, but it still did not quite fit the boy’s long limbs.

“Perhaps we should get you your own clothes at the haberdashery,” he suggested.

“Where are we going?” inquired Sehun.

“The local tavern. To get something to eat.”

Similar excitement glossed Sehun’s eyes. It had been a while since he had left Novalon and come here. It would not be the worst idea to give Sehun a change of scenery. Aaden liked seeing Sehun happy more than he was willing to admit.

“With… you?” Sehun asked just as Aaden began to amble away.

That was when Aaden realized that the excitement that reddened the tip of Sehun’s ears was not due to the outing itself, but it was the fact that they were going out together.

“Unless you want me to stay at home,” said Aaden coyly.

“That’s not… what I…” He glanced away, running his tongue between his lips. “I will go get ready.”

* * *

While Reyan walked ahead with a spring in his steps, Sehun fell beside Aaden. Though most of Aaden’s attention was on the boy, Sehun was more enthralled by their surroundings as he continued to study everything on their path. The gentle flows of purple and salmon that streaked the evening sky graced Sehun’s red hair with a soft glow. Somewhere not far from the roads, there was a coursing river, whose current sang a tempestuous melody.

He only glanced to Aaden once the road offered nothing more to see. “Where do you work?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Aaden looked over his shoulders. “The other way. Toward the mounts.”

“Is it far?”

“Not really.”

“You have your horse back. Why don’t you take him?”

“A guy working for the stonemason riding one of the finest breeds of stallions money could buy? I don’t need the attention.”

Sehun frowned. “So, no one here knows that you were…”

“I doubt that _nobody_ does. Some of the townspeople must at least suspect, I presume, from the way they gawk at me sometimes.”

“Do you not… want anyone to know that you were the Captain of the King’s Guard?”

The word ‘_were’_ somehow stung a little. He had once believed that he would take his last breath doing his duty. “It isn’t that,” he sighed. “I’d rather just live out the rest of my days without hearsays following me everywhere I go.”

Sehun flushed at that and looked away guiltily. “I am sorry.”

“Perhaps we should stop apologizing to each other on a regular basis for our past mistakes,” said Aaden almost tiredly. His shoulders were sorer than usual. Though his belly was starving for some good food, the rest of body really longed to rest on something softer than the hard floor he had been sleeping on for the past few days.

“But I am the reason you were brought this… disgrace,” Sehun muttered, head hung.

“No,” said Aaden. “I made my own choices. You cannot be held accountable for everything that had happened, Sehun.”

The next he brought his head up, Sehun met Aaden’s green eyes. Their fingertips brushed against each other and quickly parted. Aaden glanced around for onlookers. There was none. So, he let their hands touch again. Sehun seemed to be delighted by the contact. Aaden let his fingers linger on the boy’s for a moment longer before pulling them away. Even the small physical intimacy seemed to have embarrassed Sehun, even though they were way past hand holding. If anything, it showed how much Sehun longed for Aaden’s touch.

“I wonder if anyone in my family misses me,” Sehun mused at length, gazing up at the sky.

“You did have many sisters, didn’t you?” said Aaden. “I remember seeing them at the palace and at your home. Surely they must miss you.”

“I think they would,” sighed the boy. “But my father certainly would not let them mope about it. He would make them pretend like I never existed.”

“Your father sounds like a real asshole, by the way.”

That made Sehun chuckle a little. “You have no idea.”

“Has he always been… so tough on you?”

“For as long as I can remember.” He exhaled heavily.

Aaden almost curled his hand around Sehun’s, but he managed to withhold his urges. “Oh, I am certainly glad that my fucking father is nowhere to be seen.”

Sehun flinched at that. “Do you not where he is?”

“No,” said Aaden. “He came and went as he pleased when I was a child. Then after Reyan, he stopped showing up at all. But of course, by that time, I was already on my own feet and supporting my mother.”

“You never say much about your mother.”

Aaden kept his gaze low, in case his eyes decide to get a little misty. He did not have trouble being vulnerable to Sehun in the past. But after what had happened, he was a little cautious. He did not want to open himself up and then get hurt again, even though his heart told him that the chances of that happening was slim. His heart trusted Sehun and wanted the boy. But his head was telling him to be wary. In the game of head versus the heart, Aaden had lost before. Twice.

“She worked two jobs, sometimes three, to feed me. She stayed strong, even though she constantly wished that she could give me something better than what she could offer. I miss her sweetcorn porridge.”

The pleasant memory of the smell of sweetcorn porridge cooking in the kettle made Aaden smile faintly. And catching sight of the smile, Sehun grinned at him lovingly.

“And her lullabies.”

This time, Sehun slipped his hand into Aaden’s and held it for a long minute. “She must be very proud of you. You’re a good man, Aaden. And I didn’t know many good men before I came to the barracks.”

“They really liked your company,” said Aaden, acutely conscious about the way Sehun’s slender fingers fitted between his rough, long, callused ones.

“I do miss them. Skullmane, Ragepelt, Steelshout… Everyone. Except Golddust.” There was a bitter edge to the way the boy said the last name.

“Everyone receives their just rewards for every wrong they make,” Aaden said, giving Sehun’s hand a light squeeze.

“He is still among the King’s Guards, and Alvar is still a Prince. But you and I…” His hand trembled slightly then. “I suppose this is my just rewards. But you did not deserve any of this. It should have just been me. You should have let Prince Fredegar punish me as he should. Even though I never betrayed you, I did… get close to you with that intention. I deserve the punishment all the same.”

Aaden opened his mouth to say something but was intervened by Reyan, who walked over to them. “We are here!” he announced and stopped himself to look at his brother holding Sehun’s hand.

Clearing his throat, Aaden promptly released it and jerked his chin at the tavern, which he had yet to experience. “There it is.”

Most of the shops were closed, and the town was no longer as busy as it was during the day. But the tavern seemed crowded and loud, even from the outside.

“I take my lessons right over there,” Reyan said to Sehun, pointing to the preceptor’s house at the end of the street.

“Why don’t we get Sehun some new clothes before we go get something to eat?” suggested Aaden. “The haberdashery is right over there.”

“You don’t have to do this for me,” Sehun said. “I don’t want to be trouble.”

“You also cannot wear Reyan’s clothes forever,” replied Aaden. “Do you have a better idea?”

Sometimes, the sternness in Aaden’s tone, even during normal conversations, was harsh and off-putting. But he had gotten very used to speaking this way to his soldiers that sometimes, it could not be helped. But Sehun did not seem to mind the crudeness Aaden often displayed as a part of his character trait. In fact, he was more accustomed to that than having Aaden show affection.

“You’re right,” Sehun sighed eventually.

They wended their way toward the men’s clothes shop. “Brother, you have never shopped for clothes,” Reyan pointed out, hooking an arm around Aaden’s.

“Behave,” Aaden murmured, pulling his arm free. He never missed an opportunity to teach Reyan proper behaviours. Sticking his tongue out at Aaden, however, Reyan skipped back to Sehun and took his arm instead.

“Have you shopped for clothes?” he then asked Sehun.

“We do not buy at the side shops,” said Sehun. “We have our own private seamstresses.”

“Private seamstresses?” Reyan scratched his head, looking confused. “So, they make whatever clothes you want them to make?”

Aaden was surprised at how easily Reyan had caught the meaning of that.

“Well, our private seamstresses are highly skilled. They know all about the Novali fashion, new and old. They are the ones who make us our clothes. Always.”

“With threads of gold?” asked Reyan, eyes full of wonder.

Sehun giggled softly. “Sometimes.”

“You did live like a prince,” gasped Reyan.

Aaden’s heart sunk even more. Sehun, though of noble-birth, was now forced to live as nothing but a mere peasant, all of his titles and lands stripped off, disowned by his family, branded as a capital traitor. All because he had wanted to stay loyal to the man he loved.

The more Aaden thought of the painful punishments Sehun was now enduring, the more his heart softened. And the more he was happy about his decision to leave his service to the monarch.

Just outside the haberdashery, he stopped to glance at the flags bearing the Skyborn sigil that were everywhere as the days edged closer to the Crown Prince Fredegar’s coronation. It was only weeks away.

Aaden hoped dearly that everything was in order back at the palace. Even though Fredegar was relatively inexperienced, he was right to be cautious about his older half-brother. He was more prudent than his father, Aaden had noticed. He knew whom to trust and whom to not. And once he believed in someone’s untrustworthiness, he was viciously mindful of them. Which was precisely why Aaden did not think that the Prince’s trust could be won again after the scandal. A King should feel secure in his reign. Aaden had doubted that he could prove himself to Fredegar after he had willingly accepted Sehun’s punishment while on their journey to meet a potential threat at the borders. He had put Sehun before the safety of his own future King. That was unforgivable, and even though Fredegar did not say it to his face, Aaden knew that he had become unfitting for a Captain or a Commander.

Even so, Aaden was unable to find a peace of mind, knowing that Prince Fredegar was still very young, and there were so many people who awaited and anticipated his downfall.

As though he had noticed the way Aaden had stopped to stare at the flags, Sehun sidled up to him and muttered, “What is it?”

Aaden simply shook his head and stepped into the shop. A small bell chimed upon his entrance.

“Oh, customers!” he heard someone coo from the racks and shelves that thronged the place, allowing nearly no air into the room. The thick fabric dust rolled over like a fog, making it difficult to even take a breath. Everywhere Aaden looked, he saw clothes on racks, shelves and wooden mannequins.

Jostling past them, a man emerged and greeted Aaden and the others with a wide, excited grin. “I was just about close the shop,” he said, laughing nervously. His long blonde hair fell over his face in springy curls, a striking contrast against his dark skin. He moved with brief, flouncy steps, and his voice held a forced high pitch, which resembled that of a woman’s. He brushed some locks of hair out of his eyes and tucked them behind his ears in a girly manner that struck Aaden dumb for a moment. He even wore black kohl around his eyes.

“My, my,” the man singsonged almost flirtatiously, marvelling at Aaden from head to toe. “Never seen you around here before, have I?” He then bowed deep and low. “The name’s Lily.”

Lily?

He did not look any younger than Aaden was, but he sounded like a little girl if nothing else. For an awkward length, Aaden could not find his voice as he continued to glower at the man. If he were a man, that was.

“Now, what can I help you lot with?” asked the haberdasher, combing his fingers through his long hair while a coy smirk played on his lips. “Have you come for a new fitting?”

“Some shirts and trousers,” said Aaden.

Lily then brought his hands to Aaden’s chest. Aaden tried not to flinch. He did not think that he had ever blushed in embarrassment before in his life, at least not so obviously, but as the man named _Lily_ ran his hands down Aaden’s chest, hot blood began to fill his cheeks.

He heard Sehun and Reyan giggle behind him, clearly taking pleasure in Aaden’s discomfort and awkwardness.

“That’s quite the body you got there,” exhaled Lily, drawing his hands down to Aaden’s muscled abdomen. Taking a step back, Aaden scowled harder at the man.

“Do you often grope at your customers like this?” he threw at the man.

“Grope? Oh, you are a touchy one, aren’t you?” Lily crossed his arms over his chest.

“Me? I was not the one who had my hands on you.”

“And I would not say no if you want to put your hands on me.”

Behind him, Sehun was struggling to keep his laugh quiet. Aaden turned back to him and pinned him with a hard scowl. Sehun stopped laughing, but he still failed to hide his amused grin.

“Relax,” said the haberdasher. “I was just taking measurements.”

“The clothes are not for me,” Aaden then snapped.

“Wow. You are a feisty one, aren’t you?” He smirked some more. “Well, I do like my men rough.” Then sighing as though he were bored, he glanced to Sehun and Reyan. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

He was asking Sehun.

Glancing to Aaden once, Sehun looked back to the haberdasher and shook his head. “I’m not,” he said. “But I would like a new shirt and a pair of new trousers.”

“Three new shirts and three pairs of new trousers,” Aaden corrected him.

Nodding his head, Lily turned around. “Let me see if I can find something in your size that is not meant for little boys.”

Reyan was promptly distracted by the mannequins. He walked over to one of them and looked up at the blunt features carved into the head of the mannequin.

“Does he bother you?” Sehun asked Aaden in a low voice. “I don’t think he means any harm.”

“I do not appreciate people touching me,” Aaden spat gruffly.

“You… don’t?”

Aaden looked at the boy. Sehun blinked at him. Leaning his head down, Aaden whispered into Sehun’s ear, “Not when it’s not you.”

Sehun reddened at once, shivering when Aaden’s beard grazed a side of his cheek. “Stop,” he mewled in a breath.

“Do I tease you too much?” Aaden simply could not help himself. In the past, he had never been so playful with the boy. But the more Sehun stayed by his side, the more Aaden wanted to watch him smile and blush.

The boy shoved him away by the chest when the lewd haberdasher returned with a pile of clothes in his arms.

“These will do,” he said, placing them on the counter. “Is there _anything_ else that I can get you?” He was asking Aaden now, his plump red lips offering a suggestive simper.

“I do not think so,” Aaden said roughly, rubbing a shoulder whose muscles suddenly felt too strained. He sighed and handed Lily the money he owed for the clothes, which were now wrapped neatly in a thick brown paper.

“This place looks like a dump,” Reyan commented, grimacing around him.

“Reyan,” Sehun rasped. “That’s not a nice thing to say.”

“Well, he’s not wrong,” Aaden muttered with a shrug. Even the shrug made his shoulders ache.

“The shop boy who used to assist me ran away with a girl a fortnight ago, and I am shorthanded,” said Lily, rubbing the faint worry wrinkles on his forehead. “Not many people are interested in working for me.”

“I can imagine why,” Aaden remarked, rolling his eyes a little.

“I hope you find an assistant soon, Mr. Lily,” Sehun said politely. The boy was always so polite and nice to everyone. There was nothing but sincerity in his wishes.

As they made their way out of the shop, Sehun hugged the bundle of clothes to his chest, fixing Aaden with a guilty look.

“What?” asked Aaden.

“I feel like a freeloader,” admitted the boy with his lips turning sourly.

“Aren’t all of the fruits of noblemen’s loins freeloaders?”

Sehun sighed. “I suppose. But it was different when I was with my family.”

“Look. It makes me happy to do these things for you,” Aaden said, even though it pained him to confess to such sappy feelings. But it was the truth. “So, why don’t you accept the nice gesture?”

That seemed to have lightened Sehun’s mood. He flashed a meaningful smile, and Aaden arched an eyebrow at him.

“What now?”

The boy shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just… happy.”

Aaden’s chest turned warm and fuzzy at that. Something caught in his throat, and to hide the fact that he was flustered and unbelievably gratified, he turned his face away, clearing his throat.

It had been a while since the boy had smiled or laughed. Aaden was glad and grateful that the evening was turning out pleasant for Sehun. For all three of them in fact.

Darkness was rapidly descending, painting the sky in hues of deep blue and purple. The tavern was more crowder than Aaden had expected it to be. Fortunately, there were still a couple of unoccupied tables.

They quickly made their way to one of them and took their seats. Sehun seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for a moment, as he glanced around the place.

“What is it?” asked Aaden. Usually, he took little interest in the subjects of someone else’s thoughts. But when it came to Sehun and his affairs, he often willingly got himself involved.

“I was just thinking of a memory,” Sehun let out with a small smile. “When I went out with the other guards from the palace.”

“Ah. How was that experience?”

“Exhilarating if nothing else,” said Sehun. “They were a wild bunch.” Then he looked deeply into Aaden’s eyes. “They really looked up to you. They cherished you. Each and every one of them. They only spoke highly of you.”

Aaden heaved a sigh. Hearing that only made his heart clench. He waved to the bar maiden and beckoned her over.

“What can I get you?” she asked, arriving at their table.

“Ooh! Pheasant meat!” Reyan exclaimed.

“Honey-roasted pheasant,” Aaden ordered accordingly. “Some slices of ryebread. A tankard of mead and a cup of sweet water.” He then glanced to Sehun. “What will you have?”

“Whatever you’re having,” Sehun said.

“Do you like mead?”

Sehun shook his head. “It’s too bitter.”

“Spiced wine, then?”

“All right.”

Taking their order, the bar maiden went away. Reyan was jumping in his seat beside Sehun. Aaden, who was seated across them, gave his right shoulder another squeeze, grimacing weakly.

“What is wrong with your shoulders?” inquired Sehun then. “You have been rubbing them for a while now.”

“Nothing.” Aaden ran his fingers through his hair. He could use a haircut soon.

When their food arrived, Reyan dug in greedily, waiting for no one. Aaden handed Sehun a slice of ryebread and watched the boy eat prettily, holding the bread with both of his dainty hands. He also took really small bites, unlike the Skairs around him, who tore into their meat like beasts. Aaden did not possess half the grace that Sehun did either. But it was certainly entertaining to watch the boy eat. Aaden often found himself watching Sehun take his small bites with great attention. Every now and then, Sehun would lick the crumbs and grease off his lips. It was one of the obscenest things ever, and it made blood stir in Aaden’s loins.

As he emptied half of the tankard in a single guzzle, Sehun watched him with something like astonishment while he took slow sips of the mulled wine.

“How’s the drink?” Aaden asked, wiping his mouth and beard on the back of his hand.

“Peppery,” Sehun said with an appreciative smile. He sampled more of the wine.

“Wine’s too sharp for my taste,” Aaden commented.

“You Skairs can never appreciate a good wine,” Sehun retorted.

Aaden drained the tankard and knocked its base on the table a couple of times, looking to the bar maiden, ordering her for another round of the drink.

“Wine is for girls and boys who wear stuffed shirts,” Aaden scoffed.

Sehun pulled a face but did not reply as he turned his attention to the pheasant.

They ate and drank until their stomachs could take no more. On their way out of the tavern, Aaden caught hold of Reyan’s arm. He was not sure if he were trying to keep his brother at his side, or he simply needed something to brace himself onto. Perhaps a bit of both.

The doors swung open when they reached them, and they stopped to let the man and his woman enter. Aaden blinked at the at them a few times before realizing that it was the stonemason and his wife.

“Aaden,” rasped the stonemason.

“Mr. Vaud,” Aaden said, bowing his head before looking over to the woman, who was flashing her usual smirk. “Uh… This is my brother.”

Reyan was not interested in the introductions. He kept looking at the drunk sots in the tavern.

The stonemason grimaced at Reyan, eyeing the boy head to bottom with judgment. “Hmm.” Then he looked to Sehun.

“And who might this be?” asked the stonemason’s wife. “He looks a lot like a Novali.”

Aaden rubbed the back of his sore neck. “He’s a… friend.”

Sehun did not seem to be offended by that title. He bowed his head at the couple. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His formality made Mr. and Mrs. Vaud chuckle. Away from the palace, Skairs did not practice such formalities.

“Well, I’ll leave you to be. My belly could use some mead,” said the stonemason as he shoved past Aaden. His wife lazily followed after him, pinning Aaden with an unseemly smile.

Sehun at his side wore a frown now. Aaden had the slightest clue what had put the boy out all of a sudden.

“Who is she?” he asked as they walked out of the tavern and started heading home.

Aaden cocked a brow at the boy, the mead in his bloodstream slowly wearing off. He wondered why Sehun was only asking about the woman and not the man.

“She is the wife of the stonemason I work for,” he answered dully.

“Oh.”

Sehun said nothing more the rest of the way home.

“You should get to bed, Reyan,” Aaden said when they reached home. He did not even need to tell his brother to do that. Reyan already looked dead on his feet as he dragged himself toward his room.

Though Aaden was just as exhausted, perhaps a bit more, he decided to head into the backyard where he could train for a while. He took his shirt off before picking up his sword.

He gave the blade a few swings, slicing the air around him. Sobriety returned to him instantly, though sleep and fatigue refused to recede. He trained for nearly an hour before deciding to call it a day and give his back a rest.

As he wandered back inside, drenched in sweat, he stopped to peer into the living room where the candles provided a gentle lighting.

Sehun shot up from the pallet he was sitting on and looked at Aaden nervously.

“I am getting to bed.” By bed, he meant the floor in Reyan’s room.

“Wait,” the boy called. “Will you come here for a while? And lie down?”

Aaden stared at him. “What?”

“Please?”

Perhaps it was the exhaustion, but Aaden did not refuse. Sighing, he walked over to the pallet and sat down. Then he noticed the vial of salve Sehun was holding in his hand. The one Aaden had gotten for the bruise on his cheek.

“You look like your shoulders hurt bad,” said the boy, kneeling next to Aaden on the bed.

“It’s nothing,” Aaden muttered. His eyes kept wandering to the collarbones Sehun’s half-laced shirt was displaying. And God, that neck. Aaden wanted to lean in and plant countless bruising kisses on it.

“It does not like it’s nothing.” He frowned deeply. “You should sleep here. You cannot haul rocks all day and sleep on the floor all night.”

“I will get a pallet when I get the time.”

“Until then, you should lie here.”

“No.”

The frown etched to Sehun’s face hardened into an impatient scowl. “Why do you pretend as though we haven’t lain on the same bed before?”

Aaden had not been ready for that question. It threw him off a little. He was tongue-tied for a moment.

“Now, do not fight me on this,” Sehun then added as he shifted to kneel behind Aaden. He brought his hands to Aaden’s shoulders and shoved them until Aaden was pressed against the pallet, facedown.

Even though Aaden wanted to protest, he did not. He easily succumbed to Sehun’s gentle touch on his shoulders. His breathing visibly quickened as he buried a side of his face into the pallet. Then Sehun began to draw his hands down Aaden’s sweaty back, fingers lightly caressing the man’s sharp shoulder blades.

He felt Sehun move again. His throat closed as the boy straddled his hips, each knee planted on either side of Aaden’s waist.

Sehun uncorked the vial and dribbled a generous amount of the salve onto his palm. Then rubbing his hands together, he brought them back to Aaden’s shoulders.

As he gave them a firm squeeze, Aaden let out a heavy and loud breath, eyes shutting close. It felt _so_ bloody good.

But then realizing what he was doing, Aaden tried to get his head back up. Sehun grabbed hold of the scruff of his neck in a strong grip and shoved Aaden’s face back onto the pallet. Aaden grunted at the hand that was gripping his neck. It almost felt like a relief, too. The way Sehun clutched at the back of his bullneck with one hand while he massaged Aaden’s right shoulder with the other almost made Aaden moan in pleasure.

He gave in. Tucking his hands under his forehead, he shut his eyes and decided to enjoy Sehun’s touch. The boy eventually released Aaden’s neck and put both of his hands to work. He did Aaden’s shoulders first until he had nearly all of the knots loosened. Then he dragged his hands lower, kneading the strong, thick muscles of Aaden’s back.

“Holy _fucking_ God,” Aaden groaned into the pallet. “That feels… great. Don’t ever… stop, oh God.”

As Sehun drew his hands along Aaden’s flexed arms, taking a lot of pleasure in stroking the bulged biceps, Aaden was suddenly aware of the fact that Sehun was almost lying on top of his back, the heat of his crotch burning the small of Aaden’s back.

“So, this is what you sound like when _you’re_ under someone?” Sehun whispered playfully, running his fingers along the curves of Aaden’s neck.

Aaden craned his head up then and spun around. With only a couple of movements, he had Sehun flipped onto the pallet next to him.

Sehun smirked, lying so torturously close to Aaden. “What’s the matter? Do I tease you too much?”

Aaden licked his lips as his eyes wandered to the boy’s hot, wet mouth. “You have gotten quite cocky.”

“Perhaps,” Sehun murmured, raising his hand to Aaden’s abdomen. He let his fingers linger on the plane of the stomach as he gazed into Aaden’s eyes.

For moments, they did nothing but study each other’s eyes and lips. The longing that swam in Sehun’s gaze, the quiver in his lips. Aaden’s hands itched to touch the boy’s milky, soft skin, but he kept them to himself.

Sehun, however, took the liberty to feel the hairs dusted over Aaden’s chest, the hard lines of his abdomen and the firm muscles slide between his fingers as he drew them all the way down to the trail of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of Aaden’s trousers.

Sehun’s breaths started to come out all rough and ragged while his hand skimmed along Aaden’s prominent waistlines. Aaden wanted him to go further.

The candleflame flickered rampantly before dying out, engulfing them in a darkness that was soon filled with the sound of their laboured breathing.

Sehun slowly began to unbutton the pearls of Aaden’s trousers. Then as he slipped the hand in, Aaden clenched his eyes momentarily and held his breath.

The boy slid even closer until there was barely any space left between them. Aaden involuntarily raised a hand to a side of Sehun’s waist as the boy wrapped his hand around Aaden’s warm, thick cock.

Their foreheads were almost pressed together, their mouths close to lying on top of each other. Sehun parted his lips and panted against Aaden’s.

In the heat of the moment, Aaden did not want to think what was right or wrong. He refused to be rational. Part of him dreaded that he might be making the same mistake again, but the way Sehun desperately breathed against him, hand slowly stroking his hardening shaft, muddled his thoughts. It scared him how easily he could bring his walls down for the boy.

Still, some of him held back. As much as he wanted to pounce on the boy and take him, he did nothing. Sehun was almost begging to be kissed as he brushed his lips against the bearded skin beneath Aaden’s lower lip, the tip of his tongue almost touching the lip.

“Aaden,” he mewled weakly, pleading as he stroked Aaden in his pants.

Aaden felt himself grow hard and hot, his chest heaving laboriously. His hand clutched at Sehun’s waist, hips slightly thrusting forward to jerk into the boy’s hand.

Aaden then opened his eyes to look down at Sehun, his lips parted and panting, his body wanting more. So much more.

As though Sehun had heard his thoughts, the boy withdrew his hand and knelt up before crawling between Aaden’s legs. His fingers fumbled for a moment to pull the erection out of Aaden’s trousers.

Even the mere thought of what was about to happen next excited Aaden. He clenched his teeth, eyes hungrily watching Sehun, whose sultry gaze was as teasing as his hot breath that was stroking the head of Aaden’s cock. With one hand wrapped around the hardening shaft and the other resting on Aaden’s hip, Sehun lightly brushed his lips against the cock’s tip.

Aaden almost grabbed hold of the boy’s head and thrust into the warm mouth that was teasing him so unkindly. “Don’t torment me,” he groaned through his grit teeth.

Sehun’s cheeks were so red as though they were blanched in hot water. Giving the rapidly swelling cock a firm tug in his hand, the boy rubbed his lips slowly a few more times against the cockhead. Then the tip of his tongue slid past his lips and gently licked along the cock’s slit.

“Fuck,” Aaden rasped, eyes rolling back. His hand flew up to the back of Sehun’s head before his fingers caught in the locks of the boy’s hair. Clutching at them lightly, he opened his eyes again and leered down at Sehun, his breaths coming out shorter and shallower. Faint sweat beads sheened on Aaden’s skin, defining every bulge of muscle in his body.

Sehun continued to lick the leaking slit, tongue running along the cockhead while his hand stroked the length. Aaden found himself growing increasingly hard in the boy’s grip. He kept his eyes peeled and focused on Sehun’s shoulder that was exposed by his sagging, half-laced shirt. Even in the dark, Sehun’s supple-looking, creamy skin was atrociously tempting. If only Aaden had not been overwhelmed by the boy’s lips, tongue, breath and fingers that were nudging him to the edge of his sanity, he would have drawn Sehun up his body and kissed him.

But as things were, Aaden was unable to do anything but fight for breath while he gripped Sehun’s hair, holding himself back from arching his hips and thrusting into the boy’s mouth.

“Aaden,” Sehun breathed against the tip of the erection, tongue very gently lapping the slit once more.

“Fucking God,” Aaden grumbled as he felt himself near his climax. Picking up on the change in Aaden’s breathing, Sehun picked up the pace of his strokes, working his wrist to dust as he pumped the cock in his fist.

Aaden released the boy’s hair to grab a side of his head instead. Holding Sehun’s head with one hand, Aaden took his cock in the other and gave it a few strong and final strokes before bursting into thick, white ropes that stained Sehun’s lips and chin.

The boy did not seem to have minded. In fact, he looked more aroused than ever as he ran his tongue along his lips, tasting Aaden’s come.

As much as Aaden wanted to lay there and do absolutely nothing but breathe for a while, he sat up and cupped Sehun’s face in his hands. Sehun sat still, eyes boring into Aaden’s for a moment before they looked away embarrassedly.

Aaden rose from the pallet and went to fetch a towel before returning to the boy. He wiped the come stains from Sehun’s lips and the rest of his face before doing the same with his hands.

Then for a long stretch of time, they said nothing to each other, both sitting there with their heads hung.

Eventually, Sehun broke the silence. “I want you to sleep here,” he admitted with a hint of defeat in his tone. It was as though it were what he had wanted all this while.

“It will not be comfortable for the both of us to sleep on this small thing,” replied Aaden, trying to lay out the more practical reasons as to why they should not fall asleep together in the same bed, under the same roof, on a nightly basis like a married couple. That sort of intimacy formed a bond that would be far too painful to break if they ever came to that point.

“Is that the real reason or… do you just not want to sleep with me?” asked Sehun, a deep-seated sorrow and worry coating his voice.

Aaden looked up at him. The boy frowned sadly and disappointedly. “It… isn’t that, Sehun.” Aaden sighed.

“You did not seem to mind back then,” muttered Sehun. “Do you not feel… safe with me anymore?”

Aaden huffed exhaustedly. “It’s not that either,” he said. “I am just…” He planted his head in his hand and rubbed his temples slowly. “Very tired.”

Sehun’s frown eased. “I’m sorry.”

Exhaling an exhausted breath, Aaden tucked a lock of hair behind Sehun’s ear and stroked his cheekbone softly with a thumb. “I will sleep here if that will make you happy.”

As he lay on the pallet, pinning an arm under his head as a pillow, he took hold of Sehun’s hand and drew him to lie down with him.

The boy was relieved as he snuggled closely next to Aaden, resting his head on Aaden’s other arm. “Thank you,” he muttered. “But you don’t have to do this… if you don’t want to. I don’t want you doing things just to make me happy. I’m not sure if I even deserve any of it.”

Aaden looked at him and blinked lazily. “Why is this so important you?” he asked, realizing that Sehun wanted to be with him, as close as he could.

“I…” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I miss those nights… we were together. You have no reason to believe me, but those nights… meant a lot to me.”

Aaden felt his heart skip a beat. He brushed a kiss on top of Sehun’s head. “I believe you.”

* * *

When he woke the next morning, he did not find Sehun at his side. Sitting up, Aaden rubbed his eyes on the hilt of his palms as memories of last night’s events flooded his mind. The heat, the wetness, the gentle fingers on his shoulders, the beautiful pink lips that were teasing his cock. For a moment, Aaden wondered if it had all been just a dream.

But then as he kneaded his shoulder with a hand, he realized that most of his knots had melted away and there were dried come stains on his trousers.

He only rose from the pallet when he started smelling something really good wafting out of the kitchen.

Wandering over to the next room, he found Sehun rummaging through the shelves with his back turned to Aaden. On the table Aaden had recently gotten for the kitchen, three bowls of steaming cabbage and beans porridge rested.

“What’s all this?”

Sehun jumped with a start and spun around to look at Aaden. “Oh, you are up.”

Pulling his sagging trousers up, Aaden buttoned them as he walked into the kitchen, surveying the porridge. “It smells good.”

“I made something with what I found around the kitchen,” the boy admitted bashfully. “I’m not so good at cooking, but I know a thing or two. I also made some poppyseed tea, but I can’t seem to find any sugar.”

“There isn’t any, I suppose,” said Aaden, scratching the back of his head. “I can get some after work.”

“I was thinking that maybe… we should go to the town together and get a few supplies of the things we might need. This place could use them to make it seem more like a home.”

He was right. Aaden had never been good at keeping a house proper. Sehun might know what he was doing. “I would like that,” he said, looking up at Sehun, who smiled contently.

He had bathed and changed into his new clothes. Aaden fought the urge to run his dirty hand through the boy’s washed, fluffy red hair.

“We could go together after I’m back from work today,” he added as he started to sit at the table.

“Uh… Maybe you should wash yourself up first,” said Sehun.

Aaden figured that the boy was right about that, too. He still reeked of sweat and semen from last night.

“I will wake Reyan up,” Sehun then said as Aaden nodded his head and started for the washroom.

During his bath, he also gave his beard a trim that was long overdue for one. Then slipping into a pair of clean trousers, he wandered back into the kitchen, drying his hair with a towel.

Reyan was already at the table, waiting for Aaden to join him. His eyes were still swollen from his sleep, his hair a tousled nest.

When Sehun turned around, he stopped in his tracks to stare at Aaden’s shirtless body and damp hair falling over his face. Then licking his lips, he handed Reyan a cup of the tea he had been brewing.

“What would you like for dinner, Reyan?” asked Sehun. “I can try and make something.”

“Can you cook?”

“Not really.” Sehun shrugged. Aaden took his seat beside Reyan and combed his fingers through his brother’s hair, teasing out the curls. “We had cooks back at home.”

“For just your family?” asked Reyan.

Sehun nodded. “But sometimes, I sneak into the kitchen for some snacks and sweetmeats. I’d watch the cooks cook. I hope these aren’t too shabby. I tried my best.”

“And we are grateful,” said Aaden. “It had been a while since anyone had cooked for us.”

A smile stretched Sehun’s lips as he joined them at the table. The porridge was not half bad when Aaden tasted it. The subtle hint of nutmeg was exactly what the porridge needed. And the poppyseed tea in the morning soothed his throat and warmed his belly. Sehun looked so incredibly pleased that both Aaden and Reyan were enjoying the food he had made for them.

“You should get ready for your lessons,” Aaden told his brother while Reyan licked up the last blob of porridge from his bowl.

Once Reyan had sauntered out of the kitchen, Aaden rose with Sehun and helped him gather the bowls from the table. Then placing them on the shelf, Sehun peeped into the pail and frowned at the little water that was left.

“I will go fetch more water if you tell me where the well is,” the boy said.

“It’s right past the house to the left,” said Aaden. “You don’t have to do that. I can get some water before heading for work.”

“No, I want to help,” said Sehun. “I live here now, and I would like do my part.”

Aaden found it difficult to hide his smile. “You seem like you’re in a very good mood today.”

Sehun blushed and looked away.

“Is this because… of last night?” asked Aaden.

A soft, embarrassed whine broke from Sehun’s throat as he dropped his forehead against Aaden’s arm and nuzzled against it. Then he inhaled sharply, as though to delight in the smell of Aaden’s skin that was lightly scented by the lye soap.

“Thank you for last night,” the boy whispered, still rubbing his forehead against Aaden’s arm.

“I think I should be the one to thank _you_,” said Aaden.

Sehun raised his head and faced Aaden with scarlet cheeks. As he turned away, Aaden smirked to himself and wandered out of the kitchen to get ready for work.

* * *

He could not wait to get off work that day.

“Mr. Vaud,” Aaden called as he approached the stonemason under the shed when he returned from the quarry with the daily supply of rocks. “Would it be all right if I took off a couple of hours early today?”

The stonemason turned away from the smelter and looked up at him. “You aren’t getting any pay for those hours, mind you.”

“That’s fine,” replied Aaden. “Thank you.”

Wandering back to the stone saw blades, he distractedly continued with his work. For the first time in quite a while, his head and chest were light. At times, he even realized that there was a faint smile clinging to the corners of his lips. He had been worried that getting intimate with Sehun again might break him, but even he could not deny that holding the boy close last night as he fell asleep had been amazing. After an exhausting day, it felt great to have someone warm his bed. And that was not all, was it?

What was this power that Sehun had over him? He could bring Aaden down to his knees with a single touch. Was that how much Aaden hungered for him?

When he was done at the stonemason’s workshop, he hurried back home without any dillydallying. He hoped that he did not smell or look too bad.

As he entered the cottage, he found Reyan and Sehun sprawled over the floor, scribbling on parchments with sticks of charcoal.

Sehun sat upright first. “You’re home early,” he said, gazing up at Aaden with a twinkle in his eyes. “I was just helping Reyan with his homework.”

“I can do multiplication now, Brother,” said Reyan proudly.

“That is fantastic, Reyan,” chimed Aaden, dropping to a crouch to rub the back of his brother’s head. “I’m happy to know that you are learning things.”

“I don’t think the preceptor likes me very much,” Reyan then sighed.

Aaden frowned. “Why do you think that?”

Reyan simply shrugged, returning his attention back to the parchment he had numbers scrawled on.

“Well, Sehun… and I were thinking about going to the town to get some things. Do you want to come along?”

Reyan shook his head. “I have homework,” he mumbled and started chewing on his lower lip attentively.

Aaden gave the boy’s hair another ruffle before he rose back to his full height and turned to Sehun, who was standing by the door. He looked a little nervous and a little excited. It was adorable. He was excited to go out with Aaden again.

“Are you ready?” asked Aaden.

The boy nodded. Then pulling the door open, Aaden waited until Sehun was out of the house before he promptly followed, shutting the door behind him.

“We must get Blackfire some horse feed,” Sehun said, glancing over to the horse that was hitched to a post at the side of the cottage. “I think he is tired of eating apples and grass all week.”

Aaden frowned at the darkening heavens up ahead. The grey overcasts that were starting to gather against the afternoon sky. “It might rain,” he told Sehun.

“I like the rain,” Sehun said, flashing a smile that made Aaden’s heart flutter. He wanted to reach out and take hold of the boy’s hand. But the passing herders on the road forced him to keep his hands to himself.

For moments, they said nothing and simply walked at a steady pace, simply enjoying the close presence of each other.

And then Aaden raised a hand to Sehun’s cheek and gave it a tender stroke with a thumb. The boy flinched lightly at first and then leaned into the touch. Aaden retrieved his hand.

“The scar is fading already,” he told Sehun.

Sehun averted his gaze to the young husband and wife, who were strolling along the path. The woman clung to her husband’s arm and grinned up at him lovingly.

“Have you never wanted to be married?” Sehun asked suddenly.

Aaden looked at him with an appalled, confused look. “What?”

Sehun licked his lips. “It’s just that… even the men back at the King’s Guard always wondered why you never took a wife. It would have been nice. Someone to take care of you… and Reyan.”

Aaden was not sure if the boy were poking fun at him or if he were genuinely curious. “Does what I did with you last night and the nights at the encampment not answer that question?”

Sehun turned red at that. “I…” He paused to swallow hard and rub his arm with a hand. “I don’t know. Some men… take both women and men. Besides, you could have done it to keep the others from speculating. Some of them… might talk about… your preferences.”

“I was too busy with my duties to pay any heed to hearsays spread by bone idle noddies,” said Aaden. “I would not make false promises to someone through something as sacred as the institution of marriage.”

“So, you do respect marriages,” noted Sehun.

Aaden stared at him for a moment, wondering where the boy was taking this conversation. “Of course, I do. Don’t you?”

They were walking closer now. “Have you ever… wanted to marry anyone?”

“That is a silly question.”

“And that is not an answer.”

Aaden pursed his lips and glanced up at the lightning that split the sky in half. A thunder immediately followed.

“Have you ever… loved anyone before?” Sehun then asked, noticing the muffled distress in Aaden’s expression.

“I have,” Aaden answered after a while in a curt, stern tone.

Sehun fell silent. They said nothing more to each other until they reached the town. They wandered into the provision store first, where they bought a bag of flour, a small bag of sugar, some spices, and a few other things Sehun deemed as necessary. The woman who ran the store gave Sehun some free sweets because she found him very pretty and _exotic_. His fair skin and red hair were received compliments everywhere he went. Sehun pocketed the pear candies, saying that Reyan would love them. They also managed to find a bag of horse feed for Blackfire. Sehun took note of where the shops were, so that he could go here on his own when Aaden was occupied.

Next, they ventured into the general store to get a new supply of candles. Sehun suggested that they got a couple of oil lamps as well. He told Aaden that they should get the vase he saw on the shelf next time. When they were running out of hands to carry the items, they decided to head back home.

As soon as they stepped out of the store, however, the fat dark clouds gave in and began to spill cold rivulets of rainwater.

They hurried into an alley for some cover from the deluge of rain. Placing the things they had purchased down on the ground, Aaden dusted off the raindrops clinging to his arms and hair.

“It has been raining a lot lately,” he pointed out.

When he looked to Sehun, he found the boy leaning against the wall of the alley, staring at the ground. He had not said much to Aaden since the tensed conversation they had had. As much as Aaden wanted to talk to him about it, he was too afraid of rehashing the past and opening wounds that were now closed.

“Are you all right?” he decided to ask, anyway.

The boy gave a shy nod of his head. Though the rain had not drenched them completely, some of it had touched Sehun and soaked into the front of his shirt, putting his very pink nipples on display. Aaden was so offended by it that he almost took his own shirt off and asked the boy to cover himself up with it.

“I had no idea,” said Sehun, his soft voice nearly stifled by the cacophony of the downpour.

“Why would you?” replied Aaden, taking a few steps closer to the boy.

Sehun looked up at him with his lips parted slightly. They were even quivering, his shoulders shaking a little.

“Are you cold?” asked Aaden.

“No one knows?” Sehun said instead.

Aaden arched an eyebrow. “Not everyone is interested in my romantic past, Sehun.”

Sehun sank his teeth into his lower lip and stared at Aaden with that hangdog look and wide eyes.

“What?” he asked. “Do you have something on your mind?”

Sehun gnawed some more on his bottom lip. “No.” He blinked. He had really pretty eyelashes, Aaden noticed for the nth time. “It’s just that… You just said… _romantic _past.”

Aaden stared back at him.

“Twice,” Sehun added. He flinched and jumped, hands flying up to Aaden’s shirt by the chest when a pair of lightning and thunder struck. Clinging to the shirt then, he opened his clenched eyes and gazed into Aaden’s eyes.

Aaden raised a hand to the wall Sehun was leaning on and said, “So?”

“I just… cannot imagine you… being romantic,” Sehun said. It took Aaden a while to realize that the boy was not taking a jibe at him. He looked genuinely surprised by the fact that Aaden had a romantic past.

“You do not think that I’m romantic?” muttered Aaden, leaning closer into Sehun, head bowed. He then lifted his other hand to cup a side of Sehun’s face. He held it so lightly that the boy pressed his cheek into Aaden’s palm.

“It’s raining, we are alone in an alley, the winds are singing, the raindrops are drumming, everything around us spells romantic right this moment and you haven’t even kissed me,” Sehun let out. His breathing was deliciously heavy and shallow, his lips painfully tempting, his gaze eager and waiting.

Aaden leaned in until there was only an inch keeping their starved mouths apart. “I think we can fix that,” he breathed against Sehun’s lips, teasing the boy just a little bit more while Sehun’s hands tightened hungrily around the shirt.

Holding a side of Sehun’s face with one hand and the wall with the other, Aaden tilted his head at an angle and lightly brushed their lips together. Sehun’s eyes shut close at once, and he stopped breathing for a moment. His lips were cold against Aaden’s warm ones. But they quickly grew hot as Aaden pressed onto them, kissing each of them tenderly, as though to savour them one by one, shower them with the intimate praises they deserve.

Even though their lips were not strangers to one another, every kiss felt like the first one. Aaden fought the desire to slide his hands into Sehun’s clothes and feel his bare skin. He hungered to put his lips against the boy’s neck and kiss it until it bruised like a peach.

When they finally came apart, neither really wanting to, they were completely out of breath. Sehun’s cheeks, ears and neck were as red as the tip of his slender fingers that were lightly holding onto the laces of Aaden’s shirt.

“Better?” asked Aaden, his breath still grazing Sehun’s trembling lips. It was hard for Aaden to not to let the tremor in his own voice show.

“Do you think… I’m being needy?” the boy muttered, all crimsoned and hot. “I know that we agreed to take everything slow this time. But I…”

“We are taking things slow,” said Aaden, taking Sehun’s delicate face in his large, rough hands. “And I like the pace we are going at. Everything is finally… getting better. Everything seems like it’s falling into place. With each day, I get to know more of you. And I get to fall in love with these new things that I discover about you. Every day. I enjoy that.”

Sehun looked at him like a kicked pup. His fingers around the laces of Aaden’s shirt tightened, and he dropped his head against Aaden’s shoulder.

“That makes me… so happy,” he whimpered softly.

Aaden lightly nuzzled into the boy’s slightly damp hair and sighed. “We should head back. The rain seems to have calmed for now. Let’s go home before it starts pouring again.”

Picking their things up, they wandered out of the alley. Aaden glanced around, just to make sure that no one was around to have seen them. Fortunately, all of the townspeople had run for cover from the rain.

“Ahoy!” cried a shrill, pitchy voice from the threshold of the shop they walked across.

“Lily,” called Sehun, turning to the flamboyant man who stood near the door of his haberdashery, clinging to a wooden pole, as though he were dancing around it. He waved his hands and hips in a similar manner as he swung around the pole. He almost looked like he was humping the pole dry. Aaden scowled.

“Don’t you just love the rain?!” he screeched, stretching an arm out so that his hand could touch the heavy mist of the rain.

Sehun giggled, ignoring the drizzle that soaked his hair and clothes. “Have you found an assistant for your shop yet?”

“Why do you care?” Aaden spat through his teeth.

Lily jumped off the pole and started strutting toward them. Aaden moved to stand behind Sehun, gripping the bags in his arms tightly.

“Ooph,” the rakish man let out, licking his lips as he looked at Sehun, surveying the boy from head to toe. “You Novalis do have strikingly beautiful little bodies.” He was now staring at Sehun’s perky pink nipples, which his wet shirt did little to conceal.

Glowering, Aaden stepped between Sehun and the other haberdasher. “You are a bit of a creep, you know?”

“Aaden,” Sehun hissed behind him. “That’s rude.”

Lily laughed instead. “Don’t worry. I only take pleasure in giving out compliments.”

“I don’t think we were fishing for any,” Aaden said.

“Aaden,” Sehun chided again, frowning at him.

“My, my. That temper of yours…” The man started purring then. “Is very titillating.”

Aaden rolled his eyes. “We’re leaving,” he spat and grabbed Sehun’s arm to yank him away. “Here. Hold this.” He handed the bag of flour over to the boy. “That will cover you up.”

Sehun blinked at him confusedly, but he did not object as he hugged the bag to his chest.

Then as he waved Lily goodbye, Aaden grabbed the hand and yanked it down, pinning the boy with a sidelong glare.

“What is the matter?” Sehun asked as they started back home.

“He is a weird man,” muttered Aaden.

“So? You’ve never let such things bother you, have you? Besides, he is only teasing you. His overtures seem harmless enough. And he seems nice. Nicer than a lot of Skairs I’ve met.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and marry _him_, then?”

Sehun stared at Aaden. With shock at first. Then it turned into something like amusement, which only unnerved Aaden even more.

“What are you looking at me like that for?” he asked with a lockjaw.

“Nothing,” the boy said, smiling faintly.

Aaden stopped and blinked away a raindrop from his eyelid. “No, tell me. What has you grinning like that?”

The boy shrugged. “I am simply entertained by how suggestive compliments and overtures discomfort you. Why? Do you not believe that you are handsome enough for them?”

That stumped Aaden for a while. Then scowling, he said, “Bollocks.” He turned around and walked away.

Sehun quickly skipped after him, still grinning. “You _are_, you know? Handsome.”

“I beg you to stop.”

Sehun sidled closer to him, rubbing their sides together. “Look at you. Blushing like a bride on her big day.”

Aaden only groaned, but the banters were so light-hearted that he could not help but look at Sehun lovingly moments later. “Do you… really find me… handsome?” he asked at length.

Sehun was the one blushing now. “You can ask anyone across the realm, Aaden Ragnavor. The answer will always be yes.” He paused for a second. “Well, unless you ask a blind person.”

When they reached home, Sehun busied himself in the kitchen, stocking the shelves up with the provisions they had gotten. Reyan was holed up in his room when Aaden checked on him. Once the rain had calmed, he stepped out to the back to train with his sword.

Eventually, as darkness began to befall the realm, Sehun showed up in the backyard, wearing a thin smile. Aaden stopped and turned to the boy, chest heaving, body bathed in sweat.

“You truly are a masterful swordfighter,” remarked Sehun, marvelling at Aaden’s shirtless body.

Scoffing, Aaden looked down at his silversword. “I am not half as good as my instructor back in those days was.”

“Yet you’ve conquered many battles, trained many soldiers, even taught _me_ to pick up a sword.”

Aaden licked his lips and held the sword out to Sehun. “Do you remember your lessons?”

“I remember Skullmane giving me a very hard time,” said the boy, frowning at the sword Aaden was holding out to him. Then he slowly shook his head. “I’m not a fighter.”

“You are a lover, I presume.”

“What gave that away,” said Sehun, smiling pitifully.

Aaden sighed. “It’s not a bad thing, you know,” he told Sehun, lowering the sword. “The world… could use some… love.”

Sehun fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “You would not have said that if you had still been the Captain of the King’s Guard.”

“Probably not,” muttered Aaden.

After a bath, Aaden joined Sehun and Reyan for dinner before they bade their goodnights and retreated to their beds. Aaden, surprisingly, found himself wandering to the pallet in the living room.

Moments later, Sehun came and sat down next to him. He looked content. Almost too happy to go to sleep. They sat there in silence for a length before Sehun leaned in and brushed a kiss against Aaden’s bearded cheek.

“Thank you for today,” he whispered, resting his forehead against Aaden’s shoulder. “Thank you for everything.”

With an arm snaking around Sehun’s back, Aaden drew the boy down to lie on the pallet that was far too small for them both. But Sehun made it work as he placed half of his weight onto Aaden, an arm and a leg draped over Aaden’s body.

Aaden did not mind it one bit as he was lulled into a deep slumber by the warmth of Sehun’s skin and the gentle fingers that were aimlessly stroking his chest under the unlaced shirt.

* * *

# C H A P T E R T H R E E

“I don’t quite get the point of this,” Aaden said one morning, looking at Sehun with his brows furrowed in a frown.

The boy exhaled heavily as he continued to clean the dirt caking under Aaden’s fingernails. “It is unhygienic,” Sehun said.

“Mm-hm,” agreed Reyan with a nod of his head, holding his own hands up. “Look. How clean they are now.”

“But they are going to get dirty again, anyway,” muttered Aaden from where he sat at the kitchen table while Sehun patiently dug out the dirt from his nails with some water, soap and the end of a skewer.

“That does not mean you shouldn’t clean them from time to time,” said the boy, grimacing. “I will never understand why men, especially Skairon men, are so…”

“Dirty? Filthy? Grubby? Greasy? Unclean? Soiled?” Reyan supplied the terms.

“All true,” replied Sehun with a sigh.

Aaden scowled at them both. “I have no time for this. I need to get to work while you two can continue to talk smack behind my back.” He retrieved his hand from Sehun and stood up to his feet.

As he stomped away, he heard the boys giggle behind him. Stopping, he turned to glower at them.

“Do you two want to go to a puppet show tomorrow evening?” he asked grouchily. “Even though I hold no reason whatsoever to take you to one.”

“Oh, yes!” Both Reyan and Sehun exclaimed excitedly in perfect unison, jumping to their feet.

“A puppet show?” gasped Reyan. “I hadn’t seen one since the one they held at the palace!”

Reyan had always been a child. So, there was no surprise when the mention of a puppet show excited him. However, Aaden wondered why Sehun was glowing with exhilaration as well.

“Get to your lessons,” Aaden grumbled and stormed out of the kitchen.

Later at the stonemason’s workshop, he reminisced the last couple of nights he had spent sleeping on the same pallet as Sehun. Part of him no longer wanted to get another pallet. He was starting to get used to and enjoy the boy’s heat and touch as he fell asleep. Not that sleep came to him all that easily, though. Not with Sehun’s body pressed so close to him.

“Aaden,” he heard the stonemason’s wife call after him when he returned from the quarry with a new load of granite.

“Yes, Mrs. Vaud,” he said, turning to her. She was sporting a rather odd grin today. It almost appeared to be cocky.

“Do you have a moment?” she asked, tilting her head to a side.

Aaden glanced around. The stonemason was not around. Olli and Castro were busy at the smelter, though Aaden knew that part of their attention was on him. They were always interested in some hot gossip, and they always had plenty to be sent around.

“Of course,” he muttered and followed the woman to the back of the workshop, where piles of half-finished stonework were stacked.

“Are you planning on making an appearance at the puppet festival tomorrow?” she asked. Aaden stared at her vacantly for a moment, wondering why she would be interested in that piece of information.

“I might,” he said curtly, not giving away anything he was not asked for.

“Hmm.” She then started smirking again. “Do you know where the _Fat Goose Inn_ is?”

Aaden had walked past it several times. It was located just on the skirts of the town. “I believe I do.”

He waited for her to go on.

“You will come meet me there when the puppet show begins, won’t you?”

Aaden had a hard time processing what he had just heard. “I beg your pardon, Mrs. Vaud?”

“It’s Ronna,” she said, raising a hand to Aaden’s arm. “I am sure you will be there. Just ask for me when you get there.”

She stroked Aaden’s arm lightly with an arrogant look on her face.

“I think you might have thought wrongly of my character, Ronna,” said Aaden, pulling away a little.

“Oh, I know all about your character, Aaden Ragnavor, former Captain of the King’s Guard and Commander of the Slavarian Army.”

Aaden gripped his jaw then, eyes narrowing.

“You did not expect it to take too long before the word reached the ends of Skairon, did you?” said Ronna. “Anyway, my husband will not provide for a traitor of the country. Especially one that aided another and is now housing him. So, it might be a good idea to be in my good books, if you would want to keep this job.”

“There are always other jobs,” spat Aaden.

“Oh. It isn’t very clever of you to think that others would be willing to give you a job when even the most unprincipled man wouldn’t. Besides, don’t you have a brother to support?”

She touched a side of Aaden’s face.

“Come see me tomorrow at the inn.” With that, she brushed past him and walked away.

Aaden stood his ground for a while and rubbed his temples, heaving a great sigh. He did not quite understand the consequence of that threat. How big of a threat was it in the first place? Everyone would come to know who he was and what he had done eventually. The news would spread to all of Slavaria soon. The name Ragnavor would forever be associated with the scandal. It would follow him wherever he went in Slavaria.

* * *

“Aaden,” Sehun called as soon as Aaden stepped into the cottage when he returned from work later that evening. Shutting the door, Aaden arched an eyebrow at the boy, who looked anxious and a little bit excited. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” asked Aaden, exhaling tiredly as he made his way to a chair at the kitchen table. Something smelled good. Sehun had made them dinner once again. The boy was not the best cook, but he was learning and improving by the day.

“I…” Sehun drawled, chewing on his bottom lip. Aaden stared at him as he started to remove his grimy boots. “I went to the town today.”

“You did?”

“Yes.” Sehun pulled up a chair and sat down before Aaden. He took the boot laces from Aaden’s hands and began to undo them for Aaden.

“You do not have to do that,” said Aaden, cheeks growing warm as he realized no one had done this for him before. No one had ever done all of the things Sehun did out of sheer affection. The things that would appear mundane and insignificant to civilians. But to a man who had seen battles and bloodshed, these small displays of affection were new and meant a great deal.

Sehun ignored him as he proceeded to pull the boots off Aaden’s feet. “So, I went into the town and… met Lily at his shop.”

Perhaps it was the fatigue in Aaden’s bones that made him not react. Or perhaps he knew that there was no reason to react. Nevertheless, Sehun looked like he was expected a reaction. When Aaden said nothing, he continued.

“He says that… I would make a suitable assistant at his shop,” he said, his eyes glistening with excitement.

Aaden sighed. “You want to become a common shop boy?”

The excitement began to wane from Sehun’s expression. “Well… I am no longer a nobleman’s son. What pride would I spare?”

“Just because you no longer have your titles or lands once promised to your birthright, it does not mean you are not of noble birth.”

Sehun leaned back in the wooden chair and hung his head. “I just want to do something and not sit around here all day. Perhaps I could even contribute.”

Aaden rose from his seat and started unlacing his shirt. “It is up to you. You need not ask for my permission.”

“I was not,” Sehun mumbled. “I only… wanted you to be okay with it.”

“That sounds like you were seeking my permission.” He smiled. “Where is Reyan?”

“He is out feeding Blackfire. He seemed a little upset when he came home from his lessons. I tried asking him if something was wrong, but he did not say anything.”

Aaden frowned. “I will talk to him later.”

“Aaden.” Sehun caught his arm before he could walk away. “Are you really fine with me working at the clothes shop?”

“The man annoys me. But I too know that he isn’t a bad person,” sighed Aaden, lifting his hands to Sehun’s face. He stopped before they could touch the boy’s cheeks, realizing how dirty his hands were. Dropping back to his sides, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Sehun’s forehead before pulling back. “You are free to do whatever you desire, Sehun.”

Sehun flashed a toothy grin. “Thank you.”

* * *

That night, as they lay on the pallet, wrapped in each other’s embrace while an untamed storm harassed the outside world, Aaden tucked a lock of hair behind Sehun’s ear, their gazes locked and lips only inches away from a kiss.

“I am worried about Reyan,” Sehun whispered at one point. “He barely said a word at dinner. Have you talked to him?”

“I haven’t,” sighed Aaden. “When I tried to earlier, he simply dismissed me and said that he is too tired to talk.”

“Do you think… it’s something to do with the preceptor? He told me that he does not quite fit in.”

“He must learn to fit in,” said Aaden. “I would not always be here to protect him. He must learn to fend for himself.”

“And he can,” said Sehun. “He is trying, at least. He does not want bother you or be a burden to you.”

Aaden let his fingers wander along Sehun’s jawline and then his neck. “I am glad that you have come to care for him. It puts some of my worries at ease.”

“Worries?”

“I hate to be the only one for him,” muttered Aaden. “Even though it has always been just me. But now, he has someone else.”

“I have come to care deeply for him, yes,” admitted Sehun. “More than I ever could have imagined.”

“Especially since he was the reason I had… behaved so terribly to you on our first meeting.” He stroked Sehun’s cheek with the back of his fingers.

“The way you protect him so fiercely,” Sehun breathed out, leaning into Aaden’s touch. His body shuddered lightly against Aaden’s when a thunder struck outside. “I had always longed for that from a man.”

Aaden brushed his lips upon the boy’s forehead. “I would protect you just as much if you let me, Sehun.”

“Who else… have you wanted to protect like that?” asked Sehun, his eyes boring into Aaden’s.

Aaden was mumchance, understanding where Sehun was going with this.

The boy splayed his hand on Aaden’s chest and caressed the haired sternum gently. “Forgive me if I have overstepped by asking. I only… wonder.”

Aaden supposed that the person he now loved had a right to know of his past. It was only fair since Aaden knew Sehun’s.

“We were young,” he began. “We trained together after enlisting in the army. Before him… I had never even… touched another.”

He looked for signs of despair in Sehun’s expression. He found none. Sehun only looked sympathetic.

“I fell hard,” he continued. “And he did, too. We did not have a lot privacy at the encampments or training grounds. So, we would steal whatever moments we could and cherish them. We’d talk all night of what our future might look like. We were just boys. With aspirations. Lots of them.”

Then he fell silent for a moment, lost in those thoughts that used to haunt him for years. They had lost their vigour and horror, but it was still painful.

“What… happened to him?” Sehun asked, his hand on Aaden’s chest still and cold.

“I… lost him… in a battle,” said Aaden, swallowing the lump in his throat.

When he looked at Sehun’s eyes again, they were glassy, bearing tears and pity. “It must have been very hard for you,” he let out, his voice breaking.

“It was,” Aaden replied, tightening an arm around the boy. “More than you know.”

Sehun buried his face in Aaden’s chest then and remained immobile for a long minute before he said, “I am so sorry I hurt you, too.”

He was crying. His warm tears touched the skin of Aaden’s chest. Taking hold of Sehun’s face, Aaden lifted it so that he could wipe the tears from those pinking cheeks.

“I will never… hurt you again,” whimpered Sehun, sobbing lightly. “And if I do, I wish to have your sword put through my heart.”

“Shh,” Aaden hushed him, pressing a thumb to his lips as he held a side of his jaw. “I am not hurt any more than you are yourself.”

“My pain is nothing in the face of yours. All I did was give my heart to the wrong man. My father hates me. I made some really bad decisions. But you… You have lost people you loved time and again. You are a formidable man. Compared to all that you have endured, I feel like nothing but a child with too many whinges.”

Aaden kissed him then. Slowly, deeply. He kissed the tears on Sehun’s cheeks. He kissed all over the boy’s face before returning back to those warm lips.

“We all fight our battles differently,” he muttered against Sehun’s lips. “That does not make your battles any less hard than mine.”

Sehun nuzzled into Aaden’s chest once more, for both warmth and comfort.

That night, he was willing to bring his walls down once more. He was letting Sehun in and see a side of him that was incredibly vulnerable and weak. The last time he had done it, he was betrayed. But the way Sehun held onto him that night left him with such promise.

“Aaden,” Sehun called in a weak whisper, hand curling around a side of Aaden’s neck. He leaned in and pressed a kiss against Aaden’s chin and pleadingly said, “Won’t you… take me?”

He was certainly testing the limits of Aaden’s self-control. “Not tonight,” he muttered.

The boy drew back and closed his eyes before Aaden could look at them. “All right.”

* * *

The following morning was quiet. The storm last night had brought upon a calm at dawn.

Aaden roused earlier than usual for some training. Lately, he felt as though he had been losing his touch with swordplay. Perhaps he was getting lazy. Perhaps he was simply just distracted by the bliss his quiet and peaceful life brought him.

While he waited for the sun to come up, sword in his grip, vigour in his breath, he thought of an unlikely situation where he would have the opportunity to wield his sword once more in defence of the people he had sworn to protect. Would he take the opportunity? Would he go back to the life he had once lived? A life which he had believed to be everything he had ever wanted. A life which had been hollow nonetheless.

He wandered back inside only to find Sehun flitting around the kitchen, slicing ryebreads and mixing spices into yogurt.

“You seem excited,” remarked Aaden, crossing his arms over his chest.

The boy turned to him with a grin. “I am,” he said. “I have never had a job before. I am excited.”

“Just remember to keep your wits about you around that man named… Lily,” Aaden muttered as he slumped down in a chair. Slinking behind him, Sehun put his hands on Aaden’s shoulders and started to massage them.

“He is funny,” said Sehun.

“Irksome.”

“Different. With a fresh personality.”

“Strange.”

“He is also very friendly.”

“Handsy.”

Sehun released his shoulders and stepped away with a frown. “Do you ever like people?”

“People?” echoed Aaden with an arched eyebrow.

“You are always so grouchy. The men back at the barracks called you Strongstare.”

“My _grouchy _character has helped me in many instances,” said Aaden. “I do not wish to be any more friendly than I already am.”

“Well, at least you are honest,” sighed Sehun.

They were then interrupted by Reyan, who walked into the kitchen with a mussed head and swollen eyes. Sehun pinned Aaden with a pushy look.

Clearing his throat, Aaden said, “Reyan, sit down.”

His brother was coming for a seat, anyway. “Can I have something sweet?” he asked Sehun with a pout.

“We have some rose taffies.” Sehun turned away to grab the sweets.

“You should not be having candy in the morning,” chided Aaden. “It will mess with your teeth.”

“I don’t care about my teeth,” muttered Reyan, shrugging.

“Is something the matter with you? You haven’t been quite yourself since yesterday.”

Reyan stayed silent for a moment, head lowered. Then at length, he said, “There’s a boy at the preceptor’s lessons…”

“What about him?”

Biting his bottom lip, Reyan raised his head and exhaled heavily. “He is a meanie.”

“Is he… bullying you?” asked Aaden.

Reyan nodded his head. “A little. He calls me names.”

“Names? Like what?”

His brother hesitated to answer, as though just thinking of those names hurt him. “Muttonhead, half-baked, loony, hare-brained.”

Aaden clenched his fists. Sehun looked devastated, gripping the jar of taffies in his hands.

“You mustn’t let those words upset you,” Aaden told his brother. “They are meant to wound you, but you only give them power if you let them get to you. You must learn to be strong, Reyan.”

Reyan’s eyes widened a little and were suddenly filled with comfort and strength. “I must, mustn’t I,” he murmured.

“Yes. And you should never wound anyone else like that. Never go to a fight that isn’t yours. But if the fight is brought to you, I want you to take a stand and fight back. Do you understand?”

Reyan bowed his head and smiled. “I do, Brother.”

After breakfast, Reyan excused himself to get ready for his lessons. Sehun leaned against the edge of the table and stared at Aaden.

“What?” asked Aaden.

“Never go to a fight that isn’t yours?” Sehun quoted Aaden’s words. “But you went to mine, didn’t you?”

“I am not Reyan,” said Aaden. “He shouldn’t be fighting someone else’s fight. It is hard enough for him to fight his own. But _I_ am capable of it. There isn’t a fight I wouldn’t go to where injustice prevails.”

Sehun’s lips curled into a small smile then. “You will never stop winning my heart, Aaden Ragnavor.”

Aaden rose from the chair and placed his hands on the sides of Sehun’s waist. In his large hands, the waist seemed small and delicate.

“I am glad,” he whispered, gazing into Sehun’s eyes.

The boy wrapped his arms around Aaden’s body and pressed his hands to the back. “I cannot wait to go to the puppet show tonight.”

That was when Aaden pulled away, casting his mind back to the stonemason’s wife’s request. He was not sure if he should tell Sehun about it. He was worried that it might cause the boy some unnecessary pain. Sehun would undeniably blame himself for the situation Aaden was in right now. And the scandal would never stop haunting him.

“What’s wrong?” Sehun asked, blinking confusedly as Aaden drew away from him.

“I might be running late for work. And you… ought to get going to the haberdashery as well.”

“Lily said that I could come in just an hour before noon.”

“In any case, I should get going,” said Aaden, rubbing the back of his neck. “I will see you later today.”

Sehun frowned as Aaden awkwardly meandered his way out of the kitchen and then out of the cottage.

* * *

Reyan and Sehun were dressed in their best clothes when Aaden came home that evening.

“Well, let us get going then,” said Aaden, ushering them out of the house.

“Will you not change into something less filthy?” asked Sehun, looking at the patches of brown and black sticking to Aaden’s clothes.

“Nobody will mind what I wear,” said Aaden.

“I do.”

Aaden blinked at the boy then. It was clear that unless he changed into something more decent, he was not going to make Sehun happy. So, with a heavy breath, he changed.

On their walk, they were surprised to find so many men, women and children heading toward the town. The roads had never been so crowded.

“Do you think they are all going to see the puppet show?” asked Sehun.

“Possibly,” muttered Aaden.

“I am so excited!” exclaimed Reyan, walking with a spring in his step.

Aaden turned to Sehun once more. “How was your first day at the clothes shop?”

“It was… uneventful,” said Sehun, though he did not sound disappointed. “Lily does not have many customers. It was completely empty today. But we did share some tea and thyme biscuits for lunch. He has many great stories. He never stops talking. It almost seemed like he needed an assistant just to keep him entertained.”

Sehun was grinning.

“Looks like you have made a new friend,” said Aaden.

“I think so.” His face was all lit up and bright. “He said that he would be at the puppet show as well.”

Aaden groaned a little.

When they reached the town, it was nearly impossible to keep moving forward. They jostled through the thronging crowd of people. The noise of the crowd was almost deafening, especially with vendors of all sorts shouting and squawking for business.

Reyan stopped before a stall and pointed to the candied figs on skewers. Aaden purchased a couple of them, one for Sehun and the other for his brother.

“Do not wander away from me,” Aaden warned Reyan. “I will have a very difficult time finding you in this crowd if you wandered off.”

He was not even sure if Reyan heard him in the cacophony. The boy bit into the hard, sugary shell of the fig and grinned as he chewed.

“I will keep an eye on him,” said Sehun, holding out the skewer to Aaden. “Don’t you want one?”

Aaden shook his head, looking around them.

“No one is watching us,” Sehun sighed and took a bite of the fig.

“What?” asked Aaden with a cocked brow.

“You do that, you know,” said Sehun. “You always make sure that no one is looking at us.”

“I… just do not want the attention.”

“Or you are just embarrassed to be seen with me.”

Aaden caught Sehun’s arm and stopped him. Frowning, he said, “That is not true, Sehun.”

Sehun shrugged and ate another fig. “I understand if it is. No man would want to be seen with me in a promiscuous and compromising situation, anyway.”

He began to walk away with Reyan while Aaden stood still with his face scrunched up in distress. Though Sehun’s tone had been light and passive, what he had just said knifed through Aaden. He balled his hands into fists before releasing them and clenching them again. It was a habit he could not get rid of. Uncomfortable situations made him do that.

In the middle of the town, where the market usually was, a huge marquee was pitched, standing tall and wide, roofing hundreds of people. There was lively music, too. Drums and lutes. And everywhere Aaden turned, he saw banners of every colour with the words ‘The Marvelling Marionettes’ embroidered on them in gold.

“Come on!” Reyan shrieked and skipped toward the marquee.

The Taitenian puppeteers were getting ready with their puppets behind the stage. Most of them were old men and women. None looked all too interested in the buzzing crowd that was cheering for them.

“All the seats are taken,” Sehun pointed out. “We will have to stand.”

As they made their way to the end of the marquee, where it was less crowded, Aaden recalled Ronna’s threat.

“Oi!” someone cried after them as they slid past one sweaty man. Aaden turned around to look at Olli, who was waving at him, advancing toward him. “You made it!”

He stopped to glance over at Reyan and Sehun.

“Which one of these is your brother?” inquired the lad.

Aaden put a hand on Reyan’s shoulder. “This is Reyan,” he said. Reyan was not paying any attention to the introduction. He was all too excited about the colourful, whimsical puppets in his sight.

“Then who’s this?” asked Olli, eyes narrowing at Sehun.

Aaden struggled to find an appropriate answer. He did not know what the right answer was. They were far more than just friends. It sounded too sappy to call each other lovers, though Sehun would really like that.

Fortunately, the show started before Aaden could answer Olli. “Well, see you later! I need to find Castro!”

As he hurried away, Aaden exhaled heavily and glanced to Sehun, who was not looking at him anymore. He was not looking at the stage on which the puppeteers were beginning to rise. But he was scowling. At nothing.

“Ladies and gentlefolks!” announced one of the men on the stage in his thick Taitenian accent. “It is a pleasure to have you all here! We are the Marvelling Marionettes!”

A wave cheer and applause rolled through the marquee.

“Are you all right?” Aaden asked, leaning down to whisper into Sehun’s ear.

The boy flinched away and gave a curt nod of his head. “Fine.”

Aaden looked at the bunch of men who were drunk on mead. They were attracting more attention to them than the puppeteers with their loud commotions.

“Sehun,” Lily called when he found them in the crowd. Aaden paused to take in the atrocity the man was clothed in. There were frills and laces everywhere. Not even the finest women of Skairon dressed in such gaudiness. He had beads hanging from his trousers. His puffed-up shirt was as horrifying as his hat.

“Lily,” Sehun rasped.

“Oh, well,” the man stopped when he noticed Aaden. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Hotshot.”

Aaden ignored him and averted his attention to the stage.

“That is a fancy outfit you got there,” remarked Sehun, though not in a condescending way. It seemed as if he were sincere with his compliment.

“Thank you,” said Lily, tipping his pink hat a little. “Sewn by yours truly.”

“People of Novalon often dressed as fancy as this to events.”

“Oh, I do it even when there’s no event.”

Sehun giggled. “A breath of fresh air, that you are, Lily.”

“Says the most beautiful person in this tent.”

That had Sehun blushing. Aaden almost clenched his hands, but he stopped, realizing that he was being ridiculous. Whether this man Lily was flirting or not, he trusted that Sehun would never fall for his flowery charm.

Of course, Aaden’s rough, dirty, gritty unshaven, boorish temperament was _certainly_ more likable than this man’s sweet-smelling, flouncy, over-the-top, gentle nature. Sehun definitely appreciated the former more, didn’t he? Unlike Aaden, Lily was comfortable with himself. And he was not afraid to be seen with Sehun.

“I draw my inspiration from the land of Clov. They are quite whimsical people with exquisite taste in fashion,” said Lily.

“Clov? The country to the north of Slavaria?” asked Sehun, intrigued.

“Indeed. That is whence I hail.”

“I had no idea. You look very much like a Skair. Well, apart from the way you dress.”

“A flower that spends too much time in the midst of a night soil eventually smells like the night soil.”

Aaden had lost too much of his mood to pay any heed to the puppet show. He folded his arms against his chest and scowled at the group of bothersome drunkards instead.

Sehun was barely watching the show, too. He was too busy giggling at Lily’s remarks and touching the feathers on the man’s shirt. “You should take your talent and skills to Novalon.”

“I might one day,” said Lily. “Guaranteed that you go with me.”

Sehun mirrored the man’s grin.

That was when Aaden strode away from them and started marching toward the drunken sots, who were pestering the women and children in the crowd.

Though he had been trying lately to maintain a low profile, he could not hold back the frustration that shot through his veins. He grabbed one of the drunkard’s shirt collar and shoved him out of the marquee before he turned to another.

When the drunk tried to fight back with a mead bottle in his hand, Aaden took hold of his neck and yanked him toward the opening of the marquee and booted him hard on the chest until he tumbled to the ground.

“Get out of here,” he warned the other drunkards through his teeth.

While some of the spectators stared at him in horror, others shot Aaden an appreciative look. His gaze searched for Sehun briefly in the crowd. When he spotted the boy gawking at him, he turned on his heel and stomped out of there.

He waited to see if either Reyan or Sehun would come after him. Neither did. So, he started for the _Fat Goose Inn_.

As he walked, he brooded over why he was upset. It was not about Lily. He was annoying, but Aaden knew how to judge one’s character. Lily was not the one who had upset him. It was the fact that Sehun had been deliberately trying to get under his skin all evening. First with what he had said about Aaden not wanting to be seen with him. Then with giving Aaden the cold shoulder. And then, he was acting to be awfully chummy with the haberdasher.

One moment everything was great and peaceful, and the next, the boy shut him out. Aaden slowed down in his strides then, wondering if he were the one who was reading into things.

Olli and Castro had been right. The streets were teeming with prostitutes, and the sun had barely gone down. Men who had the coin walked up to them, while those who did not, maintained a wide distance with thick trickles of drool leaking from their mouth.

Aaden simply strutted past them, ignoring their purring and smirks and their scanty skirts.

He was not one to let his frustration and anger show all too easily. When he used to be strict among the soldiers, it was to teach them discipline. But when it came to Sehun, his self-control was always compromised. He recalled the time he had been unwilling to spare any one of the mercenaries who had tried to hurt Sehun. He had acted on his impulse. The same way he had offered up his own wrists to be shackled in Sehun’s place.

Something told him that the boy and his love for him would ultimately be Aaden’s downfall one day.

But so far away from the palace, that day seemed to be very far in the future.

He halted in his tracks and took a breath. He ought to talk to Sehun instead of racking his brain with these tormenting ideas.

But first, he had something else to get out of the way.

The inn was almost empty with most of the townspeople and those who lived nearby, as they were providing the Taitenian marionettes with an audience.

“May I help you?” asked the innkeeper from behind the counter with a bushy grey eyebrow raised.

Aaden walked up to the man. “I am looking for Ronna Vaud.”

The innkeeper stopped to muster him from head to toe with a wry look on his wrinkled face. “No shit you are,” he spat almost derisively. “One of our best customers she is.”

Aaden was losing his patience again. “Where is she?”

“You will find her in the second room to your left up the stairs. I will send you both some cold-brew ale.”

“That will not be necessary,” Aaden said as he turned around and marched toward the stairs.

Climbing his way up to the second level of the inn, he looked for the room Ronna was awaiting him. Fear would only win if he let it consume him. Perhaps he had learnt a thing or two from his very brief meetings with Lily. The man was afraid of no judgments. No insults. No scandals. He lived on as he willed. And Aaden wished to live on as _he_ willed. With Sehun. Fearless and unashamed. He would not give anyone the power to hold his past, present or future against him.

He gave the door a knock when he arrived at the rental room. Even though he had heard plenty of the transient, profligate life the stonemason’s wife not-so-secretly led, he still found it difficult to believe that the woman would go to such lengths to attain what she desired. Aaden needed to let her know that he was not something that was attainable through extortion.

The door was opened a moment later.

“Aaden,” Ronna sang as she drew the door open. “You are early. Are you perhaps more eager than I thought?”

“Mrs. Vaud,” Aaden said sternly. “May I come in?”

“Of course,” she mewled and stepped aside to let Aaden in.

As he entered the room, he glanced at the oil lamp on the table next to the bed, where a decanter of wine and two glasses also resided. The bed was large enough to fit two or perhaps even three. Everything else in the shoddy room did not matter.

“Spiced wine?” asked Ronna as she made her way to the bedside table. Before she received an answer from Aaden, she uncorked the stoppered decanter and poured the peppery yet sweet drink into the glasses.

“I did not come here to drink wine with you,” said Aaden.

She chuckled then. “I do not think so.” Taking a sip of the wine, she placed the glass back on the table and started sashaying toward Aaden. “I just thought we might wheedle our nerves a bit before we did anything.”

She raised her hands to Aaden’s broad shoulders and slid them down to his chest. Aaden caught them and heaved a sigh. “We are not doing _anything_. I came to tell you that I will not accede to whatever it is that you want me to do.”

Releasing her hands, he stepped back.

She fixed him with a bewildered look. “You live as a simple man now. That means you could use every friend you find in your path, Aaden.”

“I have gotten quite far without many friends. I think I’ll take my chances.”

As he turned around to leave, she caught his arm. “You lose absolutely nothing by taking me to your bed. What is holding you back?”

When Aaden did not answer, her grip on his arm loosened, and she backed away with a disgusted look on her face.

“So, the whispers are true.” She shook her head disappointedly. “You did lay with a treacherous… boy.”

Aaden felt his heart clench. “I have no care for what the whispers say about me.” He turned her back to her.

“Oh, you should, Aaden.”

With his breathing quickening, he started for the door.

Just as he lifted a hand to the doorknob, a knock startled him. It must be the innkeeper with the cold-brew ale he had promised. Prising the door open, Aaden was ready to step out, except that he was frozen in the spot, surprised to find Sehun on the other side of the door.

“Sehun,” Aaden rasped. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, you had disappeared from the puppet show, and we saw you come here and…” he trailed off, gaze wandering past Aaden’s shoulder and landing on the stonemason’s wife.

The worry that was etched to Sehun’s frown immediately turned to horror and dismay. Aaden glanced back at the woman and then looked at Sehun again.

The boy seemed dumbstruck and tongue-tied, his face paling like a lifeless corpse’s, his eyes wide and horrified.

“This isn’t what it might look like,” said Aaden, taking hold of Sehun’s arm.

He was shocked when Sehun yanked his arm free with more force than necessary before he turned around and hastened away.

Aaden did not go after him immediately, worried of what it might look like if he pursued a boy, begging for him to believe that he was not here for a tryst with the woman.

When he finally headed down the stairs, he found Reyan at the bottom of it, fidgeting with his thumbs anxiously. He looked upset and distraught.

“Reyan,” Aaden called.

“Brother,” the boy gasped, looking over to Sehun. “Honeypearl… He was crying.” Reyan had tears in his eyes, too. He was confused and lost, troubled that he did not understand what was happening around him. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing,” Aaden said.

Then sighing, he wrapped an arm around Reyan’s shoulders.

“Come. We should go home.”

* * *

Sehun did not return home.

It was nearly midnight, and there was no sign of the boy. Both Reyan and Aaden had looked for him in the marquee before they came home, but they had been unable to find him.

Reyan cried for hours, begging Aaden to go look for him. But Aaden did not know where to start, and he knew that giving Sehun some time to calm down was probably for the best. But as the hours passed, Aaden was beginning to kick himself for not having gone after Sehun earlier.

Where could he have gone?

Growing increasingly impatient with agitation, Aaden told Reyan to stay inside and safe while he went looking for Sehun. It was dark and cold, and dark billows of clouds were gathering for a downpour in the stygian night sky.

It was only a small misunderstanding. Aaden had not thought that Sehun would take it this far. He did not think that it would get so serious.

For the first time in a while, he mounted Blackfire and rode him toward the town to get there faster. Rain began to fall before they managed to reach it.

The puppet show had long come to an end. The Taitenian puppeteers were gone, probably to the capital city now to sell their talent. The people had returned to their homes to protect themselves from the nightly storm that hounded them.

Aaden only knew of one place to look for Sehun in the town. He reined Blackfire to a halt and dismounted the beast at the clothes shop. He knew of nowhere else where the boy could have gone. He did not have many friends in Skairon.

After hitching the horse to a post, he rapped the door of the haberdashery, banging his fist on it repeatedly. He knew someone was in there for that the lamps were still lit.

“My God, I was wondering what that massive hand of yours could do,” commented Lily as he opened the door with a smug look on his face, as though he had expected Aaden to show up on his doorstep. “So strong. And persistent.”

“Is he here?” Aaden asked as politely as he could.

“You are wet from the rain,” noted the other man. “Why don’t you come in, take those clothes off and dry yourself a bit?”

As he stepped aside, Aaden’s gaze darted to Sehun, who was perched on the counter with a cup in his hands.

“Sehun,” Aaden called and shoved past Lily to enter the shop.

The boy did not look up at him, even though he was clearly aware of Aaden’s presence. He continued to scowl into the cup, seated on top of the counter with his legs dangling over the edge.

“I do not wish to speak with you,” Sehun muttered softly, clenching his eyes.

“But I wish to speak with you,” said Aaden.

“I suppose it served me right. I did betray you first after all.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Aaden spat. Sehun’s eyes flung open and met Aaden’s sorrowfully. “It has nothing to do with that.”

“Perhaps I should give you two some… privacy,” Lily said as he picked up his hat and feathery cloak. “Sehun, do remember to lock up when you leave.”

With that, the man wended his way out of the shop and shut the door behind him. Aaden turned to Sehun once more.

“Look. She and I… did nothing. You must trust me.”

Sehun’s eyes welled up with tears then. “You were with her,” he let out weakly. “You said that you… desired no woman. But you don’t wish to be seen with me. You would not hold my hand in public. You wouldn’t even… We haven’t… Not since…” He could finish as the words choked him. Then swallowing hard, he put the cup on the counter and hung his head low. “Were you with her… because you do not want anyone to think that you and I are…”

“God, no,” Aaden hissed. “You are overthinking it. She was propositioning me. And I refused. I went to the inn to let her down. You know that I am many horrid things, Sehun. But a liar is not one of them. I have never lied to you.”

A tear trickled down Sehun’s cheek when he finally raised his head and met Aaden’s sharp gaze, which quickly softened.

“The reason why I… am careful is because I do not want anyone to hold what we have against us,” Aaden then added, cupping a side of Sehun’s face in a hand. The boy did not object to it. “We were careless once and it had hurt both of us. I cannot hold your hand when we’re out in the world because I want to be able to hold _you_ when I go to sleep at night.”

Sehun climbed off the counter then and fisted his hands around Aaden’s damp shirt. “So… You really weren’t there to…”

“No,” Aaden answered. “I had put my neck on the line for you. What makes you think that my heart, even for the smallest fraction of a second, lust for another?”

“It was not your _heart_ I doubted,” Sehun admitted, colour returning to his ashen cheeks.

Aaden blinked and was unable to find a reply to that insinuation.

“I am sorry for… mistaking you then,” said Sehun, hands loosening around Aaden’s shirt. “But I will not apologize for anything else.”

“Anything else?” Aaden’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mean for when you were giving me the cold shoulder earlier?”

Sehun turned away from him. Aaden grabbed hold of his arm and halted him. The boy faced him once again with a glower.

“I was not giving you the cold shoulder,” he spat furiously.

Aaden scowled back. “Why are you snapping at me? What have I done?”

Sehun confronted him then. “What am I to you?” he asked, his tone sharp and desperate.

Aaden only stared at him as he was unsure of where this was coming from.

“I know that I had done some unforgivable mistakes, which have cost you many things,” the boy said. “But ever since, I have been paying for those mistakes. I have accepted my just rewards, and I have been trying so hard to correct my wrongs. I do not know what else you need of me.”

“I don’t understand,” Aaden admitted, his scowl softening to a frown. “Sehun, I do not understand why I have upset you.”

“It feels as though you are keeping me at a safe distance, walking on eggshells around me.”

Aaden was shocked to hear that. “We had agreed to take things one at a time. We decided to give us some time.”

“That does not change what’s in your heart or mine, does it?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why do you hesitate to call me your… lover?”

Aaden gripped his jaw then. “Do you expect me to go around announcing to people who do not give a damn about our welfare that we are lovers?”

“Fine,” said Sehun. “I can accept that. But why haven’t you taken me yet when we are alone?”

Another blatant, unabashed question that threw Aaden off his guard. He did not know what to say. Nobody had asked him such a thing.

“I decided to give you some time. But I almost had to beg you to sleep on the same pallet as me. You hesitate to even kiss me. What is it, Aaden? Will you never trust me again?”

“You are spiralling,” Aaden sighed. “You are spinning all of this out of nothing.”

“I want more,” Sehun conceded suddenly, his eyes glistening with tears. “It is a torture for me to wonder what runs in your head every time I touch you or try to kiss you, every night we lay on the same bed together. I do not doubt your love, Aaden. But I am worried… that I might be forcing myself unto you. And then… today, I saw you with… that woman.”

Aaden grappled an arm around Sehun’s waist then and yanked him close until their chests collided. Sehun was taken aback by the sudden contact that he looked up at Aaden with bulging eyes. Before he could get another word out, Aaden shoved him against the counter’s edge and slid his hands down the back of Sehun’s thighs. Gripping them, he hoisted the boy up to the shop’s counter.

Sehun gasped and locked his arms around Aaden’s neck.

“Do you think it is not driving _me_ insane?” Aaden hissed through his clenched teeth, snarling at Sehun, their lips almost brushing. “All that I could think about night and day is holding you in my arms and doing unspeakable things to you.”

Sehun began to pant, his eyes lustful boring into Aaden’s. He was clearly aroused by the grip Aaden had on him in that instant.

“I am tired of holding myself back, too,” Aaden spat, almost growling. “Just say what you want. Out and clear.”

“I want you,” Sehun was quick to answer in a bated breath. “I want you, Aaden. So badly.”

He wanted to hear no more. A rough moan broke from Sehun’s throat when Aaden smashed their lips together, crushing the boy’s under his. All at once, the hunger to devour Sehun, whole and proper, overpowered his senses. He had not felt a virility so strong in the longest time. All rationality failed him as he tore Sehun’s shirt apart and wrapped a hand around his neck, shoving him down to lie on the counter.

Sehun voiced no objection when Aaden broke the kiss and rammed his mouth against his neck. A string of loud moans trickled from his mouth as Aaden bruised his neck and collarbones with his lips and teeth, sucking and nipping the fair skin there.

Then as he slithered lower on Sehun’s body, he kept a loose hand wound around Sehun’s neck. The boy whimpered his name when Aaden wrapped his mouth around one of the pink nipples, which pebbled and hardened against his swirling tongue and warm saliva.

Writhing and clutching at Aaden’s hair, Sehun gasped for air, all of the beautiful sounds that came from his throat muffled by the caterwauling of the howling wind and raging storm. They could be as loud as they wanted, no one would hear them in the midst of this thunderstorm. Which was good, because Aaden planned on making Sehun scream his name all night long.

While sucking on the boy’s tender nipples, Aaden’s hands hastily fumbled with the laces of Sehun’s trousers. He then straightened up momentarily to yank the footwear off of Sehun’s feet before stripping him down to nothing. Sehun’s cheeks and bruising nipples were only a few shades away from red. Aaden basked in the glorious sight that was lain out before him. Barring the patches of red Aaden’s mouth had left on his neck, collarbones and chest, Sehun was all pale and unblemished and _beautiful._

Aaden leaned down to claim Sehun’s lips once more while unfastening his own shirt. When the boy was begging for air, he disconnected their mouths and went down on Sehun’s body again, leaving a trail of kisses on the sweet, smooth skin. Sehun squirmed lightly and moaned when Aaden pelted his flat belly with a few searing kisses before he went down to his knees.

Sehun raised his feet and planted their heels into the edge of the counter, spreading his knees open. Aaden peeled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor that was riddled with cloth pieces and threads. Then drawing his lips all over the insides of Sehun’s thighs, he sank his teeth into a spot near the boy’s crotch and nipped at it until it discoloured. Sehun gasped and struggled to hold his moans back while Aaden left his marks all over his body. Especially where it was less easy to show when clothed.

And then Aaden went even lower. Hooking his arms around Sehun’s thighs, he dragged his lips to the crotch and watched Sehun pant and plead as his beard grazed the sensitive skin there. He took the boy into his mouth next, hollowing his cheeks around the swelling length. Sehun planted his hands in Aaden’s hair and gripped onto it, back arching off the counter as he moaned deliriously.

His entire body lurched with a jolt when Aaden slid his tongue down the cleft of his ass and teased the puckered rim of muscles.

“A… Aaden,” he whimpered breathlessly, fingers loosening around the long strands of Aaden’s dark hair. Sehun’s eyes began to roll back, his lips parted and panting, his chest heaving, his skin shimmering with a thin layer of sweat. He was not denying the pleasure Aaden was bringing him as he tongued the soft, pink opening, smearing it with spit. “Ha… Harder… Please…”

Yanking the boy closer by his grip on the thighs, Aaden smashed his mouth onto the orifice and ate him out, the tip of his tongue prodding into the tight opening as far as it allowed. God, he could not wait to stretch Sehun open and enter him, to feel the heat and tightness of his insides.

As much as he did not want to stop savouring the boy, he rose back to his feet and collected Sehun in his arms before lifting him off the counter. It was not comfortable enough. Neither was the cold floor Aaden laid down Sehun next, but it allowed a larger space. A coat rack and two mannequins tumbled to the ground as they stumbled and struggled, mouths battling one another, tongues curling, breaths mingling. In a heap of cloths and wood, Aaden hurriedly undid the pearls of his trousers and took hold of his erection in his hand.

Stroking the hardened member, Aaden bowed his head and peppered Sehun’s soft belly with more kisses and bites. Then he straightened up to kiss the boy full on the mouth again, curling his free hand around Sehun’s jaw.

His tongue slithered into Sehun’s mouth and licked the roof of it. Aaden eventually drew back to look for the oil lamp. Finding it on top of the counter, he quickly retrieved the canister of almond oil and dribbled the warm liquid onto his palm.

“Is this okay?” he asked Sehun to make sure that he was comfortable. The boy hardly looked like he cared about his comfort right now. Covered in sweat with his lungs running on short supply, he gazed at Aaden with heavy eyes and an open, gasping mouth. Aaden bent low once more to spit onto the opening between the cheeks of Sehun’s ass. Then stroking his own cock with the oiled hand, he lubricated the shaft and pinned his other hand to Sehun’s stomach to hold him down while he brushed the tip of his cock against the throbbing opening.

“Aaden,” Sehun rasped. “Please… Do not… tease me… any longer.”

Holding a side of Sehun’s torso, Aaden lightly brushed the boy’s nipple with his thumb while he continued to rub the cockhead against the orifice, spreading the spit and oil all over it. Then withdrawing, he stroked it with his fingers before sliding one of them in.

Sehun curled his lip between his teeth and shut his eyes as a tear rolled down from the corner of one. He immediately clenched around Aaden’s finger, tight and firm. It had been a while for him, Aaden reckoned. So, he slowed down, letting the boy get used to the discomfort again.

But then Sehun started pleading. “Don’t make… me wait… and… beg.”

“Are you… sure?” asked Aaden.

Sehun nodded his head, eyes fluttering open to meet Aaden’s. “I need you… inside me. Please.”

Aaden gave him a few more strokes before he retrieved the finger and spat onto his hand before slapping it against the boy’s reddened opening.

And then he slowly slid into Sehun, leaning down as he furthered. Much to his surprise, Sehun was desperate and aroused enough to not to pay much attention to the discomfort. He grabbed onto Aaden’s back and drew him down to kiss him hungrily. Aaden must have starved him out after all.

Covered in sweat, tears, and spit, they enveloped each other in their arms. Sehun eventually dug his fingernails into Aaden’s back and moaned loudly as Aaden began to thrust in and out of him. God, the way he throbbed around Aaden had the man’s sanity driven to its limits.

He pulled out at one point to turn Sehun around to stand on all fours. Then spitting onto the stretched opening, Aaden slid back into him, kneeling behind the boy with his hands gripping Sehun’s hips. He was unable to hold himself back as he drove into Sehun, knocking into bundles of nerves that had Sehun crying and moaning with his forehead pressed to the floor. While one of his hands reached behind and held onto the back of Aaden’s muscled thigh, the other caught the cloths strewn across the floor.

In the heat of the moment, neither of them cared about anything other than giving and receiving each other carnal pleasure they had both longed for. Everything was raw, rough and corporeal. But at the same time, their hearts and souls had never been more in sync.

Aaden picked up the pace of his thrusts as he felt himself edge closer to his climax. He leaned down and rested his forehead against Sehun’s sweat-slicked back, kissing all over the shoulder blade. Sehun’s moans also grew more intense and louder by the thrust.

Aaden collapsed onto Sehun’s back, coming down from his high, fighting for breath. He quickly rolled onto his back so that he was not crushing Sehun with his own weight. The boy turned to him.

Aaden kissed his mouth and wrapped a hand around Sehun’s length, pumping it hard in his fist. “Finger me,” Sehun demanded against Aaden’s mouth.

Withdrawing his hand from the erection, Aaden spat onto his fingers and slid two of them into Sehun. While he fingered Sehun hard and persistently, the boy stroked himself, latching his teeth onto Aaden’s shoulder.

When he finally came, he burst all over Aaden’s abdomen and fell against his chest.

They lay still for a long moment, each catching their breath and giving their backs a rest.

* * *

“Winter slowly approaches,” Aaden muttered, staring at the ceiling of the haberdashery in the dark once the lamps had gone out. Though the ground was cold, their bodies pressed together kept them warm enough.

They had not bothered to get dressed or clean themselves up as they lay there in each other’s embrace. “There are still plenty of moons before winter is here,” Sehun replied in a whisper, his head resting on a side of Aaden’s chest while Aaden gently stroked the boy’s back with his fingertips. “Are you worried about getting older?”

Aaden brushed a kiss to Sehun’s head. “Age is not something that worries me.”

“It worries me, though.”

“What? Growing old?”

Sehun nodded, his arm tightening around Aaden’s abdomen. “Growing old alone.”

Sighing, Aaden said, “I imagine the odds of that happening must be very scary for someone as romantic and affection needful as you.”

“You mean to say that I am needy.”

“_I_ did not say that.”

Sehun raised his head and scowled at Aaden. Smiling, Aaden caressed the boy’s back and cupped the back of his head.

“For as long as I am alive, I will not let you grow old alone,” he then said, and it was a promise he intended on keeping.

“But you would be quite old when I start growing old.” Sehun dropped his head back on Aaden’s chest.

“Now I do not feel as optimistic as I did a moment ago about aging and seeing another winter.” Aaden grumbled.

Sehun snickered softly. Then as the laughter died, he drew his fingers over the muscles of Aaden’s abdomen. “Tell me,” he muttered. “Did you think… that you could ever… love another? After… you know what.”

Aaden did. He heaved a sigh. “No, I did not,” he said. “That isn’t to say I hadn’t had any prospects over the years. It was just that… none seemed to be worthwhile. Well, until I met you.”

“But you had not made a move even after meeting me,” said Sehun. “It was only much later, only when I had come to Skairon.”

“Even then, I had not meant for anything to happen between us,” Aaden admitted. “I was aware of the consequences. And I never… thought that you would go for someone like me.”

And to be fair, Sehun hadn’t. Aaden had not been his first choice, at least. He had been in love with a Prince for crying out loud. Aaden could not compete with the rights of a Slavarian Prince. Not when he was only a paid Captain and Commander who had sprouted from the foulest streets of Skairon.

“I have never been happier than I am now with you,” Sehun said without lifting his head from Aaden’s chest. “I only wish for it to last forever.”

As the night wore on, sleep seduced them. Unable and unwilling to put their clothes back on, they made themselves comfortable in each other’s arms.

“I do love you, Sehun,” Aaden confessed in the dark, drawing Sehun’s face up so that he could kiss the boy’s lips.

“I do, too,” Sehun muttered into the kiss.

* * *

They had no idea when during the night they had fallen asleep. But when they woke up again, it was bright and there was a figure standing before them, looming over them in blinding colours. A splash of pink, red and yellow hurt Aaden’s eyes as soon as he opened them.

“Well, this is a fine how-d’ye-do, isn’t it?” chimed Lily as he removed his huge feather hat and set the lamp aside. Aaden shot upright and glanced to Sehun, who was already standing up and gathering his clothes in a frenzy.

Aaden rubbed his temples that pulsed and looked up at the man once again. “This isn’t… what it looks like.” He was not sure why he was even trying. The man had clearly caught Aaden and Sehun, naked and asleep in each other’s embrace, on the floor of his shop.

“I presume you’d want me to believe that you were looking for a lost earring and somehow ended up on the ground, buck naked and covered in semen.”

Aaden dropped his head, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Do not fret,” said Lily then. “I knew what you two were up to the first time I met you both. You have nothing to be ashamed of except for the fact that you have dirtied my shop.”

Aaden could not bear to hear another word from the man. He quickly started looking for his shirt so that he could get out of there.

“Lily,” Sehun rasped once he was fully dressed again. “We are very sorry.”

“No, you are not,” said the man, smirking.

“You knew?” Aaden asked, rising to his feet.

Lily’s gaze immediately wandered down Aaden’s body and fixated itself on the man’s limp cock. Aaden groaned and tucked it back into his trousers before lacing them up.

“Men as fine as you often have their secrets,” Lily scoffed. “I have been with my fair share of fine men. Though none were as hung as a horse, as you are.”

“Thanks for the compliment,” Aaden grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes as he tightened the laces.

“So, he was the one who had upset you last night,” asked Lily as he picked up the fallen mannequins. “You had refused to talk about what had gotten on your wick.”

“It was just a misunderstanding,” said Sehun, blushing fiercely.

“I can tell since you look as happy as a clam now.”

“Let me help you clean up.”

“Do not trouble yourself with it,” said Lily. “I think it’s best if you head home and wash yourself up first. I will wait for you.”

Sehun bowed his head. “Thank you.”

Once Sehun was out of the shop, Aaden turned to the haberdasher. “I’m sorry about your shop.” With that, he started for the door.

“I hope you do not hurt him,” Lily said behind him.

Halting in his tracks, Aaden looked back at him with an arched eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

The man exhaled heavily and crossed his arms over his chest. “It is true that I don’t know much about him, but I have heard plenty about you… Captain Ragnavor.”

Aaden’s jaw tightened.

“I doubt he knows everything about the sordid things you have done during your years of servitude to the royal family.”

“Sordid things?” Aaden spat.

“I know the kind of man you are. You had done whatever that pleased the people you served. And I know why you are not serving them any longer.”

“You know nothing about me,” Aaden said.

“Oh, but I do. Weren’t you the man who led an army to the borders between Clov and Slavaria? Your soldiers destroyed the Clovian villages and families who resided there under your command. Mine was one among them.”

Aaden scowl faltered. “It was a long time ago.”

“Not very long ago, I’m afraid,” said Lily. “I do not suspect your righteousness, Mr. Ragnavor. You did what you had to in order to please the old King. I suppose you must have been young and ambitioned.”

“I am not that man anymore,” said Aaden. “My days as a Captain and a Commander are behind me.”

“Are they? A hand that is so used to wielding a sword could hardly rest, even with a gentle lover in it.”

Aaden needed to hear no more. “Sehun is not of your concern.”

“Perhaps. But you ought to be careful with his heart nonetheless. He is all but young. And you… Your warrior heart will always be set elsewhere. This calm and peace, you do not desire. Not for the moment at least.”

Aaden spun around and stomped out of there. He could barely remember the events at the borders of Clov. And it was nothing compared to the many other battles Aaden had led throughout the years. Lily was right about one thing. Back then, Aaden had been very ambitious. He had wanted to be someone. And when he was given the opportunity to prove himself, he had done everything in his power to pledge his loyalty to the King. But now as he looked back, he was repulsed by the blood that was on his hands.

He recalled the night when Sehun had looked at him with such repulsion. The night he had executed the mercenaries without a second thought. He had killed so many that killing a man left no moral stain on his conscience. But to the boy, it had been contemptible.

Perhaps that was the reason Aaden had been keen on giving him and Sehun some time. It was not to heal. It was not to protect himself from more betrayal. Perhaps he was not ready for this life. Perhaps part of him regretted his past decisions.

“What took you so long?” Sehun inquired when Aaden stepped out of the shop and found him by Blackfire’s side.

“Nothing,” Aaden said gruffly and took hold of the horse’s reins.

“I did not tell him anything,” Sehun said with a frown, as though he were worried that Aaden was disappointed with him. “He… figured it out on his own.”

“I know,” said Aaden. “I do not think it matters much anymore.”

The words would spread. The stonemason’s wife knew. The haberdasher knew. Soon, everyone in Skairon would know. Former Captain of the King’s Guard now lived the life of a simple stonecraft labourer and bedded a Novali traitor for whom he had turned his back to his duties toward the country. The words would spread.

“Are you fine with walking?” he asked Sehun, noticing the slight limp in his strides.

Flushed red in embarrassment, Sehun nodded his head shyly. “I am fine.”

“Would you rather ride the horse?” asked Aaden.

“I do not think riding a horse right now would… help,” Sehun muttered. Then he looked up at Aaden again. “You are not… regretting last night, are you?”

Aaden frowned. “No. I am not.”

Sehun exhaled in relief. “Did Lily say something to you?”

“Nothing that you should be worried about,” said Aaden. “He only cares for you.”

“He cares for me?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

Sehun grinned. “He is the first friend I have made since Skullmane, Ragepelt and the others.”

Aaden kept mum the rest of the way back home.

Reyan was still asleep when they reached the cottage. Later, when he would wake up, he came asking for Sehun at once and was glad to have Sehun back. He even hugged Sehun and told him to never run off like that again.

“You shouldn’t go,” Sehun said a while later while Aaden stood in the washroom, leaning over the water basin. The sun was already up, welcoming a new day.

“I cannot hide in here forever,” Aaden replied, head hung.

“I hate that woman,” the boy spat then with a scowl etched to his brows. “She is foul beyond words.”

“If the stonemason would no longer have me work for him,” Aaden then said, facing Sehun. “it is his choice. I am not afraid of confronting him, and I am most certainly not afraid of what his wife might tell him.”

Sehun stood by the entrance, frowning.

“Come here,” Aaden said. The boy entered and approached him. Wrapping an arm around Sehun’s waist, Aaden drew him close. He could still taste the heat of Sehun’s skin in his mouth from last night. “You mean more to me than any hearsay.”

Sehun was thrilled to hear that. His eyes began to brim with tears. “And you to me.”

“How do you… feel?” Aaden inquired, lightly holding a side of Sehun’s waist. It was so delicate and small in Aaden’s huge hand. “Did I cause you any pain?”

The boy blushed. “You know that you did,” he murmured, gaze lowered. “And you know that… I liked it.”

Aaden smirked and leaned in to brush his beard against Sehun’s cheek. “I indeed did know—”

Before he could finish, the loud knock on the door interrupted him. They came apart at once, both blinking at each other confusedly. Who could be knocking at their door so early at daybreak? The last person to have stood on Aaden’s doorstep was Sehun.

“I will get it,” said Aaden, brushing past Sehun.

He kept a hand fisted as he came to the door and pulled it open. He was not sure whom he was expecting to find at his door, but the faces he was met with froze him for a moment, heart forgetting the rhythm to its beat.

“Captain!” Ragepelt exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. At his sides, Skullmane and Steelshout looked just as excited.

“What on earth… are you three doing here?” Aaden let out, taking a good look at the guard’s uniform Ragepelt and Steelshout were clad in.

“We’re here on an official business,” said Skullmane with that usual level-headed tone of hers. “Mind if we come in?”

Aaden was stumped for a second. He was happy, of course. He was so happy to see his soldiers again. But he dreaded the business they were here for.

“My word! Is that Honeypearl?!” gasped Ragepelt as he shoved past Aaden to get inside. Sehun stood frozen, eyes gawking at Ragepelt and the others in disbelief. “We missed you, laddie!”

Sehun mewled when Ragepelt threw his large arms around the boy’s little frame and crushed him in an embrace, almost lifting him from the ground.

* * *

# C H A P T E R F O U R

Even though the three of them were happy to see Sehun, the boy, however, was having a hard time looking at each of them in the eyes. He almost looked shamefaced. Perhaps he was still aggrieved and humiliated by the incident. But Ragepelt, Skullmane and Steelshout had clearly forsaken their umbrage over everything that had happened.

Aaden offered them a seat at the kitchen table while Sehun busied himself with preparing some poppyseed tea for them.

“This is a cosy little place you’ve got here. Dainty,” commented Steelshout, glancing around the cottage.

“And where is Babyfigs? I had missed that little bean,” said Ragepelt.

“He has already left for his lessons with the local preceptor,” said Aaden as he sat down in a chair. He kept his eyebrows furrowed and jaw lightly clenched, unsure of what could have possibly brought the three there.

“It really has not been the same back there without you, Captain,” huffed Ragepelt.

“I’m not your Captain,” Aaden sighed. “Last time I checked, _you_ are the Captain now.”

“A very lousy one at that,” grumbled Ragepelt. “Oh, thank you. That smells lovely.” He accepted the cup of lukewarm tea Sehun handed him.

“What has happened to your face?” Skullmane asked Sehun, frowning at the fading scars on his cheek.

Sehun looked away, lowering his head. “Nothing,” he muttered.

“Please tell me that did not happen while you were… here,” she said.

Sehun gasped. “God, no,” he said quickly and glanced to Aaden. “He would never.”

“Didn’t think so,” said Skullmane with a small smirk.

Aaden cleared his throat and leaned forward in his seat. “Now, what is this _official_ business you’re here for?”

“Oh, yes,” rasped Steelshout as he retrieved a scroll from his pocket. Aaden was surprised to find the royal seal on it. “This is for you.”

“Give it a good read, man,” said Ragepelt.

With his eyes staring at the three soldiers painstakingly, he took the scroll and broke the seal before he started perusing its content.

Then for moments, he said nothing, his mind a blank slate, his heart sinking to his stomach.

“What is it?” questioned Sehun, placing a hand on Aaden’s shoulder from where he stood, behind Aaden.

He almost instantly withdrew the hand, however. If Ragepelt, Steelshout and Skullmane had noticed the small physical exchange, none of them showed any sign of it. Aaden doubted that they weren’t aware of Sehun’s being here. In fact, he suspected that they knew exactly everything that Aaden had been up to since he left the palace.

“The… Crown Prince requests an audience,” Aaden muttered, putting the scroll down on the table.

“Aye, he does,” said Ragepelt. “He wants to see you.”

Aaden ran a hand through his hair. “What for?”

Skullmane leaned forward then. “He needs you,” she said with a grave expression. “He needs you at his side. And you shouldn’t have walked away. Not when he needs you the most.”

“He does not need me,” Aaden said. “I am as replaceable as any one of you to a King. Especially after I had disproved my loyalty to His Highness.”

“You were demoted,” said Skullmane. “He was angry. But he never intended on letting you go. Resigning was your own choice. And even then, he had respected it.”

Aaden gritted his teeth. “I was not worthy of serving him no longer. He was kind enough to let me go unpunished. But I knew that I had long lost my right to captaincy.”

“It is only you who think that. All that you did was try and save someone else’s neck. You were willing to have yourself convicted in his place. That can also be counted as loyal.”

“I do not care what you say,” said Aaden. “My conscience had not let me continue.”

“Ragnavor,” said Ragepelt then. “It does not matter what you did in the past. Prince Fredegar still trusts you. More than anyone. He had felt a little cheated, yes. And he had been furious. But it is no secret that the closer we get to his coronation, the larger the threats grow around him. He needs you. And he wishes for you to come to the palace and hear him out.”

“And if I refuse?” said Aaden. “Has he given me a choice to do that?”

“Aaden,” Sehun called. Aaden looked up at him and found the boy to be frowning. “You must go. He wants to see you.”

“I have put that life behind me,” muttered Aaden.

“No, you haven’t,” Sehun replied.

Aaden swallowed hard. Then for a long moment, he kept his silence, ruminating about the Prince’s request. “I must think about it,” he said at length. “I am not sure if I still have the right to be in the Prince’s presence.”

“He says that you do,” said Skullmane. “You mustn’t only think about yourself now. The Prince is reaching out to you. I say you take it. Be the man we had all looked up to once.”

With that, she rose to her feet.

“All men make mistakes,” Steelshout said, looking to both Aaden and Sehun. “And one that doesn’t cannot live in this world. But some mistakes are forgiven, my friend. As they should be. You protected this boy. If I were in your place, I do not think I would have had the courage for it. Nor the heart. But I saw the ferocity in your eyes when you offered yourself up for someone else. Someone you happened to care about. That was certainly the most heroic thing I’ve witnessed in all my life.”

He stood up, too.

“You must return to where you belong,” he added. “Whether your conscience agrees or not, you are the kind of man many would follow. Myself included. So, you should do the right thing.”

“Why after so long?” asked Aaden. “Why now?”

“He does have an ego,” said Skullmane. “Wouldn’t he have looked weak if he had begged you to stay?”

“Threats follow wherever he goes,” said Ragepelt. “I am a soldier. A very good one. But I am no leader. I do not know how to lead the men you had groomed and trained. We all need you back. Think about it… Captain.”

Aaden shut his eyes momentarily, drawing in a few breaths.

“It was good to see you again, Honeypearl,” Ragepelt said to Sehun with a sigh. “We will take our leave now.”

Aaden did not see them off. After shutting the door once they were gone, Sehun returned to the kitchen and confronted Aaden.

“You cannot seriously be torn about this, can you?” he said.

“Will you have me crawl back to something I had washed my hands off?” Aaden retorted.

“If the Crown Prince orders it, do you really have a choice?”

Aaden shot up from his seat. “And what if he wants me back as his Captain? What about… this life?”

“Nothing would change,” Sehun let out, holding onto Aaden’s arm. “You would still come home to me, won’t you?”

Aaden exhaled heavily. “I do not think if I can… go back to all that. I am no longer the same man I was. I have… different needs now.”

“But you will never feel fulfilled until you have done the duty you had promised to your country,” Sehun pointed out, and it was undeniably true. “Prince… Alvar is a dangerous man.”

Aaden’s expression hardened at that. “What?”

“He wants your brother’s throne. And he will attain it by any means necessary. And trust me, he has men and women all over the country who would rather see him sit on the throne than his younger, inexperienced, proud brother.”

Aaden knew that. He knew all of that. And so did Fredegar. Alvar had tried everything in his power to passively wage war between Taitenia and Slavaria. It had been avoided, fortunately, at the borders. Aaden had had a large role to play in it as he laid out all the reasons why the Taitenian King should not go to battle against the stronger, outnumbering Slavarian army.

“I do not know what to do,” Aaden murmured, slumping back in his seat. “It isn’t something I was… expecting.”

“But desiring, I’m sure of it,” said Sehun. “You are a leader. You are a Captain. Go do what you’re good at.”

Curling an arm around Sehun’s waist, Aaden drew the boy down to sit on his lap. He then dropped his face against Sehun’s shoulder and breathed heavily.

“Just last night,” Aaden whispered. “I had been so happy. With you in my arms. I do not want to lose that. I do not want to lose you.”

“You will not,” Sehun said it like it was a promise. “I am… yours, Aaden.”

“And I’m yours.”

“Please,” he breathed out. “Go see the Prince. At least hear what he has to say.”

Nuzzling into a side of Sehun’s neck, Aaden inhaled the scent of Sehun’s skin. The boy shivered when Aaden’s beard scraped the crook of his neck.

“All right,” Aaden mumbled. “All right.”

* * *

“You seem nervous,” Sehun remarked when he caught Aaden fumbling with the buckle of his sword belt.

“I am not nervous,” Aaden replied and groaned exasperatedly. Sehun then walked over to him and took hold of the belt before fastening its buckle.

“There,” he said once he was done.

Aaden paused to catch his breath and calm his nerves. “I never thought I’d be going back to the palace.” He was not sure if it were dread or joy of returning to a place he had once called home that had his stomach in knots.

Sehun placed his hands on Aaden’s chest and gazed up at him with his head tilted. Gently taking hold of the boy’s chin, Aaden lightly brushed their lips together.

“No matter what happens,” Aaden then whispered against Sehun’s lips. “You and I… This will not change. I will not give you up for anything.”

“I really hope you would not have to.”

Aaden did not know how the Captain of the King’s Guard would be allowed to keep a relationship with a boy of Novalon, who was branded a traitor of the country. Was he making false promises? Or was he just overconfident? Either way, part of him was starting to believe that Prince Fredegar had summoned his presence for the restoration of his captainship.

Fredegar would not be able to find a capable Captain for his guard and Commander for his army in short notice before his coronation. And without a strong leader to lead his soldiers, he was vulnerable.

“I will be waiting for you,” said Sehun. “Well, I must go see Lily first.”

At the mention of Lily, Aaden wondered if the man were right. Would Aaden go back to his captainship in a heartbeat if the opportunity presented itself?

He pulled away from Sehun half-heartedly and started for the door. Then as he approached Blackfire, someone yapped on behind him.

“You!”

Aaden turned around to scowl at the man marching toward him. It was the local preceptor. And in his hand, he was gripping Reyan’s arm, dragging him on. The scowl on Aaden’s face tightened, and he clenched his fists.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, stomping toward the preceptor.

The man released Reyan’s arm and shoved him forward. Catching hold of his brother, Aaden examined Reyan’s face briefly to find any signs of discontent. If he had seen a tear in the boy’s eyes, he would have socked the preceptor right and proper without thinking twice. But Reyan only looked angry and proud.

“This little bastard hurt my son!” yelled the preceptor, huffing furiously. “I will have him brought to the capital guards if only he weren’t a damfool!”

“What are you talking about?” Aaden asked through his grit teeth.

“Your witless brother bit my son’s arm! I will not see him anywhere near my class again!”

Aaden lunged at the preceptor and grabbed the man’s shirt, snarling at him viciously. “Do not throw your words around so lightly, Preceptor. I am not a very patient man when it comes to my brother.”

Clearly horrified, the preceptor stumbled back, his eyes full of dread.

“Aaden, don’t,” Sehun rasped as he rushed to Aaden’s side and caught hold of his hand, as though to stop him from giving the old man a good beating.

“Now, get lost,” he spat at the preceptor, who was quick to spin around and hurtle away. As soon as he was gone, Aaden turned to his brother with twice the rage. “What were you thinking?!”

It was probably the first time he had ever raised his voice so high and shouted at Reyan so loudly. The boy cowered at once, shuddering and flinching as he looked up at Aaden with wide, terrified eyes. All complacency drained from his face, replaced by shock and fear.

“You _bit_ the preceptor’s son?!” Aaden continued to bay ferociously, not minding the passing herder and his sheep. “Did he hurt you?”

The boy remained silent, shoulders shaking.

“Answer me!” Aaden roared and took hold of his brother’s arm. Reyan winced as Aaden’s grip tightened painfully around his elbow.

He then shook his head, his teeth clattering a little, his eyes glistening with fresh tears. He had also gone completely ashen.

“Aaden, please,” Sehun pleaded in a breath, trying to put himself between the brothers.

Aaden pushed him aside. “What have I told you about not going to a fight that isn’t yours?!” he continued to yell at Reyan. Tears began to roll down the boy’s pale cheeks. “What if the man had taken you to authority? Do you know how much trouble you would have created for me?!”

“I’m sorry,” Reyan said in a trembling whisper, crying quietly. “I’m sorry… I am a burden to you, Brother.”

“A burden?! Now, you dare speak that way to me?”

“That’s enough, please,” Sehun said, holding Aaden back by the chest. “You must go. Leave. Can’t you see that you are upsetting him?”

Aaden huffed and panted, his throat tight with anger.

“Reyan,” Sehun called, turning to him. He wrapped an arm around the boy’s back and said, “Why did you do it?”

Reyan sniffled and wiped his cheeks. “He told everyone that my… brother was a… cock-sucking… traitor. He said terrible things about Brother. I… I couldn’t stand it.”

Sehun shut his eyes, all colour waning from his face.

As for Aaden, he lost every last silver of fight from his body. His heart clenched. Words failed him.

For a long while, no one said anything. Sehun looked like he was close to tears as well.

Aaden heaved a breath. “Take him inside,” he muttered to Sehun and started for his horse once again, dragging his feet as though they were heavier than the mass of two boulders.

* * *

It was strange, his ride into the capital and eventually, up to the palace. The air of the city was significantly more parching than the balmy ambience of the countryside. The ride took no longer than a little less than an hour.

Being back in the streets of the capital brought back many memories, in which he was running through the alleys in his threadbare footwraps, looking for scraps that would help his mother in any way.

Up ahead, the palace stood tall and regal. It had once been an unattainable place for Aaden, so out of his reach. But he had worked hard. He had done everything he could to get there, only to have it all tossed aside because of his love for a boy.

Even now, he knew that he coveted the rank he had worked very hard to achieve. But at the same time, he knew that he would not give what he had with Sehun up for any reason. The boy depended on him now. He had left his home, his state, his family, everything, depending on no one but Aaden. He would not betray Sehun’s love and trust.

He truly did love the boy like in the storybooks. Like how the stars love the night. How the breeze loves the sea. With every inch of his breath.

The closer he rode to the palace, the faster the blood pounded in his temples. He still remembered the day he had walked away from this place with his brother, claiming that he was no fit for a Captain anymore.

He slowed down as he approached the palace gates where the palace guards stood. Each of them regarded Aaden with a surprised but pleased look.

“Welcome back, Captain,” one of them said, smiling as he ordered the other guards to open the gates.

Aaden’s chest was warm when he realized to these men, he was still a Captain.

Dismounting Blackfire, Aaden handed the horse’s reins to the guards so that Blackfire could be brought to the royal stables.

“His Highness is expecting you,” said a guard.

“And where might I find him?” asked Aaden.

“I believe in his quarters.”

Nodding his head, Aaden started for the Crown Prince’s quarters. And on his way, he took notice of the banners and decoration that adorned the hallways, all of them bearing the majestic Skyborn sigil. The coronation would be grand. It might be the grandest celebration in Slavaria since the birth of Fredegar Skyborn, the only rightful heir to the Slavarian throne. Aaden was only a teenager, standing on the roads bestrewn with flowers and kerchiefs made from golden thread as the entire country celebrated the birth of their future King. The people danced and drank to the Prince’s health. Some spoke of how Prince Alvar, the bastard Prince, must feel cheated by the birth of his new half-brother, who held a better claim to the crown and throne.

And when Aaden rose to his rank as the Captain of the King’s Guard, he had solemnly sworn to the then King that he would safeguard his son for as long as there was strength in his bones and see to it that Prince Fredegar became one of the finest Kings to rule Slavaria. The fact that Aaden had forsaken that oath had eaten at his conscience for far too long.

Part of him wanted to wander off the path to the Prince’s quarters and head for the barracks instead. He never thought that the foul smell of socks, boots, unwashed clothes, men’s sweat amongst many other things would be the cure to his homesickness.

He was not sure how to face the Prince. His words continue to ring in Aaden’s ears.

_You used to be a man of duty. You were unforgiving toward injustice. And now, you want me to let a traitor walk because you let your heart waver…_

Aaden knew better than to expect the Prince to forgive him for his betrayal. If Fredegar wanted him here, it was solely for the reason that Aaden still had something to offer the Prince.

Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the hallways Aaden strode through. Even though it had been but a few moons since he left the palace, thinking for good, it felt as though he had not walked through these halls forever.

He still remembered the first time he had walked into the palace. He had thought there was no match for its regal grandeur. This was the house of the Kings. And Aaden had been beyond honoured to step foot in here. He had thought to himself then that he would never take it for granted. And yet, he had chosen to walk away from it all.

“Ragnavor,” a familiar voice called when he reached the end of the hallway.

Turning around, Aaden bowed his head at Halwert, the Queen’s advisor, who was soon to be one of Fredegar’s advisors in his court.

“It has been a while,” said the older man, approaching Aaden. “How have you been?”

Aaden never took Halwert’s cordiality without a pinch of grain. His loyalty lied with the throne above all else. He would throw anyone under the wagon if it would favour the monarchy. Fortunately, he was also a firm believer in the birthright of Kings. Which is precisely why he would do anything to see Fredegar ascend the throne and not Alvar, a bastard Prince.

While Aaden believed that Alvar was an experienced warrior and had the potential to be a tactical ruler, he also did not advocate the Prince’s dominion as a King. That right remained with Fredegar alone.

“How is Her Majesty the Queen Regent?” Aaden inquired Halwert.

“She is well when she isn’t worrying herself about her son’s coronation.” Halwert straightened his shoulders and mustered Aaden from head to toe. “When was the last time you had a haircut, Ragnavor?”

“It hasn’t been one of my priorities lately,” sighed Aaden. “I suppose you had your hand to play in the Prince’s decision to summon me here again.”

“Indeed,” said the advisor. “He just needed a little nudge. His stubbornness should not cost us his safety.”

“I think we have already established the fact that his safety was compromised while I was still in charge.”

“And for that, you have paid. But your leadership skills might yet be of use to us.”

“I am sure you of all people know that I am not that special, Halwert. Why haven’t you found a more capable Captain for the King’s Guard?”

“Because at a time like this, there are but few we can trust. The last thing we need is for our entire King’s Guard and army to be overseen by a spy who works for the enemy.”

Aaden supposed that was a fair point. Anyone could be bought. All that Alvar would have to do to take over the country’s defence was pay its overseer a handsome amount of gold.

“So, that is why I am here,” said Aaden. “I am to be reappointed.”

“I believe that is why you are here,” replied Halwert. “Now, you might not want to overplay your hand in this, Ragnavor. Do not challenge the young Prince’s undue pride. He wants you back, but he was quite willing to go back on his word.”

“A good King would know when to let his pride slide.”

“And I was hoping you could prove that to him.”

Aaden exhaled heavily. “I’m not sure if I can, Halwert. When I was a Captain, I did not have other responsibilities, except to my brother. But now…”

Halwert’s eyes narrowed. “I heard of your accommodating Alvar’s lover, who had spied for him.”

Aaden’s jaw clenched when he heard the words ‘Alvar’s lover’.

“He did it foolishly, believing his loyalty to the Prince would promise him affection,” Aaden spat. “Prince Alvar had taken advantage of his naivety and desperation for some affection. He has since regretted his decisions. His loyalty now lies with the crown. Not with the eldest Prince.”

“You speak so defensively of him.”

“And I will continue to do so because he _is_ a good person.”

“Hmm,” Halwert hummed. “You seem to care very deeply about the boy. Sehun Avniel, wasn’t it?”

“Had not been clear when I was… willing to take the noose for him?”

Halwert sniggered a little. “Of course. I never took you for the kind of man.”

“What kind of man?”

“The kind of man who had seen wars and more enemies than one could count but would not bat an eye to lay down his life for the one he loved.”

Aaden sucked in a deep breath. “I will not give him away, Halwert.”

“Not even for the safety of the crown?”

“Not even for the safety of the crown.”

“Then we might want to ask the Prince to offer you both an amnesty. Come.”

Aaden followed the old man to the Prince’s quarters. The guards in the corridor bowed their heads at Aaden when he walked past them.

“Ragepelt—”

“Is a fine soldier. But he is a follower. He cannot lead a host of men,” Halwert said before Aaden could finish asking him the question.

“What has the Queen Regent to say about this?”

“She has urged Prince Fredegar to issue you an amnesty.”

“Has she really?”

“She still believes that you are the dutiful man you were for many years. No one can be perfect. Not even you, apparently. Every man has his weakness.”

“The boy is not my weakness.”

“I did not say he was. But for some soldiers, the matters of the heart might be the greatest weakness of all.”

As they sauntered into the Prince Fredegar’s study, Aaden continued to keep his mind levelled and composed.

“Your Highness,” said Halwert.

Aaden glanced over to Fredegar, who was seated at his desk, quilling letters. Raising his head, the Prince froze, his gaze darting past Halwert’s shoulder.

He had not changed much since the last time Aaden had seen him. He dressed more like a King now, though.

Clearing his throat, Fredegar leaned back in his chair and arched an eyebrow at Aaden. As much as the Prince attempted to look tough and stern, he was still a boy, who was trying too hard to be taken seriously. He wanted to be seen as a strong, unyielding ruler. He wanted to be look as potent as his half-brother did. He still had a lot to learn.

“Your Highness, My Prince,” said Aaden, bowing to the Prince. “It is an honour to be in your presence once again.”

“Is it now?” said Fredegar in his usual, smug tone. “I did not think you would accept my invitation, Aaden Ragnavor.”

“You are the Crown Prince,” said Aaden, straightening up. “I have no choice but to do your bidding.”

“You are quite correct about that.” He fell silent for a moment, glancing out the window where a flock of blue jays flited by. Then without meeting Aaden’s eyes, he said, “You will reassume your position as the Commander of the country’s army and Captain of the King’s Guard.”

While it might have been intended to be an order, it almost sounded like a plea.

Aaden was mum for a moment, frowning. Unlike the Prince, he looked at Fredegar when he spoke again. “My Prince, I—”

“I do not wish to hear it, Ragnavor,” spat Fredegar, almost annoyedly.

Aaden clenched his teeth and bowed his head. “Unfortunately, my Prince, not even a King cannot force my hand in this.”

Fredegar jolted up from his seat and slammed his hands on the desk. “I _am_ your King! I am offering you an amnesty in spite of everything you have done to slight me and belittle my honour by siding with a traitor who had whored himself onto you!”

Aaden’s own breathing began to quicken. “Your Highness,” he said, still trying to keep his cool. “I can assure you that your safety is of great importance to me. But I have promised the same protection to someone else. I cannot accept your amnesty unless you offer him one, too.”

Fredegar did not look surprised by this request. In fact, he looked so oddly calm that Aaden suspected that he must have seen this coming.

“You live with him now,” said Fredegar. “Do you not?”

“He has left his home. He had nowhere to go, Your Grace,” said Aaden. “I… can vouch for his good character.”

“Good character?” scoffed the Prince. “An ill-bred boy who bent for Alvar and then slept with my Captain to prove his loyalty to my brother.”

Pain and anger shot through Aaden’s veins then.

“Which one of us hasn’t made mistakes, My Prince,” said Halwert. “In fact, I for one believe that he might be of some use to us.”

Fredegar scowled. “How so?” he demanded.

“Offer him an amnesty, Your Grace,” said Halwert. “Should a situation arise where we might need to bring up evidences against your brother, the boy might speak in your favour.”

“You will leave him out of this,” interrupted Aaden, almost growling. “He has already been hurt enough by that man. I will not stand and watch while he is put through more agony in the name of Prince Alvar.”

“I do not think he would have much choice,” said Fredegar. “Very well. Aaden Ragnavor. I offer you and Sehun Avniel amnesties. All charges held to your names will be dropped forthwith should you reassume your post as the Captain of the King’s Guard and the Commander of the Slavarian Army.”

If Fredegar was so fast to agree, Aaden knew that the Prince had been prepared for this request. A King should not let his desperation show the way Fredegar had so naively betrayed it.

Aaden thought of the situation with Reyan earlier today. If not for himself, regaining his titles would at least save his brother and Sehun from embarrassment. He could not run from the hearsays any longer.

He looked at the Prince’s piercing, glowering blue eyes. “I trust you to honour your word, My Prince.” He tilted his head forward. “I accept your offer.”

Even though Fredegar probably did not want it to be so obvious, relief spread through his expression. “Good.” He sat down. “I shall expect to see you at the court meeting tomorrow in your uniform.”

Just the thought of donning the Captain’s uniform again thrilled Aaden beyond words.

“The Captain’s Hovel at the barracks will be cleared out for you to move back in with your brother.”

“My brother would not be the only one moving in with me, Your Highness.”

Fredegar looked at him sharply then. “Do you mean to tell me that you will only return with that…” He stopped himself and took in a sharp breath. “Perhaps other arrangements can be made for him and your brother to live in the city. I will not have my Captain be the subject of endless scandals in the palace and capital.”

As much as Aaden wanted to protest the Prince’s decision, he knew he had certain expectations to fulfil and rules to follow as the Captain. He could not house a lover, especially a male lover, in the palace.

“I am not willing to cater to any more of your demands, Ragnavor,” spat Fredegar. “I have already promised you enough.”

“I am more interested in what promises you expect from me, Your Grace,” said Aaden.

Fredegar looked to Halwert.

“The coronation is around the corner,” said Halwert. “Give out orders as you must to strengthen the security around the palace. I don’t have to tell _you_ how to do something you were already so good at, Ragnavor. The last King trusted you, and he was right to do so. No one was more careful than you were when it came to the safety of the royal family.”

“Do your concerns sprout from anything specific?” asked Aaden. “Is it… Prince Alvar?”

“We’re afraid it might be,” said Fredegar. “I do not know what extent he would go to in order to see himself sit on the throne. There have been a few incidents in the palace already.”

“Envoys from the neighbouring kingdoms worry that our Crown Prince does not possess the experience and tact Alvar does,” said Halwert. “Their worry is clearly ignited by someone who wants our allies to doubt their security with Prince Egar on the throne. Meanwhile, Alvar continues to win the trust and loyalty of countless noblemen and foreign rulers, who have the resources to supplement his private troops. Needless to say, you were the best judge when it came to defence strategy. We must know how to tighten our own security against Alvar’s growing support.”

“He would not act before the coronation,” said Aaden. “It would be too obvious. The people and the noblemen would not side with a murderer. Alvar is clever enough to know that. If he wants Prince Fredegar off the throne, he would do it when we are most relaxed and unexpecting. He would continue to inspire doubts in the people about Fredegar’s authority until they are all siding with him. He would overthrow Fredegar then. But before that, he would turn every one of our allies against him.”

“It has already started,” Fredegar sighed. “And he is taking advantage of our lack of a good Captain.”

“A King is only as strong as those who serve him,” said Halwert. “The Captain of your guard symbolizes your strength, just as the Commander of your army speaks for the strength of your country.”

“If you need me to tell you that I need you here at my side, Ragnavor,” said Fredegar. “Forget about it. You know your duties. I am simply allowing you another opportunity to fulfil them.”

Aaden nodded his head. “I understand, Your Grace.”

“Well, then,” let out the Prince, looking more hopeful than he had been when Aaden had walked into the room. “It is good to have you back, Captain. I hope you would not make me regret my decision.”

* * *

When Aaden reached home later in the evening, he found Sehun sitting on the pallet, lost in his thoughts. He looked up at Aaden before he jumped onto his feet and hurried to Aaden’s side.

“What happened?” he asked in a gasp.

Aaden glanced to the pile of new clothes on the pallet. “What are those?” he asked, ignoring Sehun’s question.

Looking back at the clothes, Sehun said, “Oh. Lily gave them to me. As a gift.”

“You barely know him, and you are already exchanging gifts?”

“Well, to be fair, I don’t know how much of a stranger we are to each other after I had taken the liberty of sleeping with my lover in his shop.”

Aaden swallowed and looked away for a second. Then sighing, he wandered to the kitchen. “Where is Reyan?”

“He was crying for hours after you had left,” said Sehun as Aaden plumped in one of the chairs.

He then let out a disappointed sigh. “Was I too harsh on him?”

Sehun sank into the chair next to him and leaned forward. “He was very hurt,” he murmured. “He kept saying that he did not want to be a burden to you.”

“God, he will never be a burden to me.” He then stared into Sehun’s eyes. “And neither will you.”

The boy lowered his head. “What does that… mean?” he asked in a whisper. “What happened at the palace? What did the Prince want of you?”

Aaden took hold of Sehun’s hand and brought it to his lips to press a kiss to his palm. Sehun pinked at the gesture. “He worries that his safety might be compromised the closer he gets to his coronation. And he worries that his court may look weak without a proper commander for his guard and army.”

“So, he wants you back,” said Sehun, unable to hide the small frown on his eyebrows.

“Yes, he does.”

“And… did you accept?”

After a brief moment, Aaden nodded his head. “He agreed to offer you an amnesty.”

Sehun blinked. “What?”

“And he is allowing you to stay in the city. Closer to me.”

Sehun withdrew his hand. “But that does not mean we will… live together.”

“I’m afraid not. As a Captain, I cannot…” he trailed off, pained by the hurt look in Sehun’s eyes.

“I understand,” the boy said quickly when he noticed the distress in Aaden’s expression. “I will be all right. Besides, I would still like to work at Lily’s shop. It will keep me occupied.”

“But are you absolutely certain that you are all right with this?”

“The Prince needs you at his side. I can understand that. And he will be safer with you at the palace. I can look after my own.” He raised his hands to Aaden’s chest.

“And is it all right if Reyan stays with you?”

“Of course,” said Sehun. “When do you resume your captaincy?”

“Tomorrow,” replied Aaden dully. “I am to present myself before the Prince’s court.”

Sehun pulled back and averted his gaze, lost in his own thoughts once again. Then almost unconsciously, he muttered, “Will… Prince Alvar be there?”

Aaden’s throat tightened. He clenched and released his hands before standing up to his full height. “He might,” he said gruffly and started for Reyan’s room.

“Aaden,” Sehun called. “I did not mean anything by that.”

“I know,” Aaden said without looking back at him. When he entered Reyan’s room, he found his brother sitting in a corner of the room, knees drawn to his chest, arms hugging his legs. “Reyan.”

The boy did not look up at him as he continued to stare at the ground. He sulked like a child for that he still remained as one. Heaving a heavy breath, Aaden sat down beside Reyan on the floor and wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I should not have shouted at you.”

Reyan said nothing in reply. He was still trembling.

“Are you mad at me?” asked Aaden.

To that, Reyan nodded his head.

“Well, I deserve it.” He carded his fingers through Reyan’s hair. “I am just… worried for you. I always am. I cannot take any chances with you, Reyan. And I want you to be safe. I will not be around forever to look after you. You are going to need to look after yourself.”

Reyan spoke then in a cracked voice. “He said such… mean things… to hurt me. I am not… smart enough to fight back… with words. I don’t know… many words. I was angry. So, I bit him.”

Aaden closed his eyes momentarily and drew another deep breath, his arm tightening around his brother. “You must think of the consequences of your actions before you act.”

“I was angry,” Reyan said again, eyes quivering with tears.

“I understand. I will get very angry too if someone tries to hurt the ones I love.”

Reyan turned and faced him then with bloodshot eyes. “So, do you… forgive me?”

Aaden pressed a kiss to his brother’s temple. He did not often display such physical affection, but it seemed important in that moment. “There is nothing for me to forgive. You only wanted to protect me.”

Reyan dropped his head against his brother’s shoulder. “I will protect you as much as I can.”

Aaden smiled. “I have some news for you.”

* * *

# C H A P T E R F I V E

Life kept throwing unexpected twists and turns in his path. The last few moons, Sehun had had both the fortune and misfortune of seeing a colossal amount of irreplaceable adventures, surprises, heartaches, humiliations and hardships that he was now almost immune to them. He was ready to welcome more of the inevitable obstacles his life would encounter.

The midst of it all, however, he tried to keep his faith. There was always a hope for a better tomorrow. He was no longer the rich, noble-bred boy, who never used to imagine a day away from the walls of his lavish home back in Novalon and the soft beds, the warm meals, the rich wines. But now, he had marched to the Ruins of Aerth, found true love, disowned by his father, lived with nothing but red marks to his name. He felt as though he could face and live through anything now. So, moving to the city did not come as a difficult thing for him when the day finally came.

It had been nearly a week since Aaden had reassumed his position as Captain of the King’s Guard. And since then, Sehun had seen very little of him.

The new house the Crown Prince had gotten for Sehun and Reyan was significantly bigger than the cottage. It was also given to them fully furnished. Sehun definitely did not mind the big feather bed. It took him a while, however, to settle in. The city was deafeningly noisy compared to the countryside he was used to. Even when he lived at the palace, it was never this noisy. But now, there was constant cacophony around him even with the doors and windows shut. On the other hand, everything was more alive around him.

He wondered if his sisters and mother would come visit him now that the Prince had issued him an official pardon.

“So, he hasn’t come home to you in four days,” said Lily while Sehun arranged the shirts by the material they were made of. Silk, cotton, velvet and more. “That does not bother you?”

Sehun sighed and turned to look at Lily, who was lounged in a chair with his booted feet resting on top of the counter. “I just miss him. But I know that he has just gone back to his captaincy. There must be a lot of work. Especially with the coronation around the corner.”

“Will you be invited to it?”

Sehun frowned then. “I do not think I will. I am no longer a part of the Avniel household. My father would not allow it.”

“But your family will be there?”

“If the Prince has offered me amnesty, then he might invite my father and his family.”

“You will not get to see them.”

Sehun shook his head, hanging it. “I miss them, too.”

Rising from his seat, Lily walked over to Sehun and put his arm around him. “Everything will be all right. Things have a way of working themselves out.”

Sehun smiled up at the other man. Lily was a whimsical, eccentric soul. He was a breath of fresh air. And he had always been so understanding and wise. He, of all people, knew what it was like to be an outsider.

When they had no customers to entertain, which was for most of the day, Lily would use Sehun as a model for his new clothing ideas. Some of them were very good, Sehun admitted. He even told Lily that he should take his business somewhere people would appreciate his flair. The townspeople and those who lived nearby were simple folks.

“Say,” Lily said. “I am to present my finest clothes to the royal seamstress at the palace in two days. Would you like to go as my assistant?”

Sehun’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes. I could use some help carrying the trunks, anyway.”

“Of course!” It would be a perfect chance to see his old friends at the barracks.

* * *

By the time he reached his new home in the city, the soles of his feet were blistered, and the sun had gone down. As much as he loved working at the clothes shop and spending time with Lily, the walk every noon and evening was tiresome.

He hoped that Reyan kept himself entertained while he was gone. Lily had asked to bring the boy over to the shop if it pleased him. Sehun told him that he thought it was a good idea. Reyan would be thrilled.

On his way home, he bought a few skewers of candied figs for Reyan from a vendor. Since their first unfortunate meeting, Sehun and Reyan had become closer than neither one of them could have imagined. Sehun truly cared for the boy’s wellbeing. In many ways, he reminded Sehun of his little sisters. Now, whatever that Sehun did, he had Reyan in the back of his mind, making sure that everything he did would bode well for the boy. Aaden was not the only one looking out for Reyan anymore.

As he neared the house, he was pleasantly surprised to find Blackfire on the doorstep. His heart almost leaped out of his chest in excitement. And right beside the black horse stood a tawny mare, bridled and annoyed by Blackfire’s nickers. She wagged her tail and turned her face away from the black beast’s flirtatious attempts. Her hide was a fair shade of brown while her eyes were as dark as the night. She was almost as tall as the stallion wooing her. If only Sehun weren’t overcome by the need to see Aaden forthwith, he would have given more attention to the brown beauty.

“Aaden,” he gasped to himself and hurried into the house. Luckily, he did not have to look too hard to find the man, as he was seated on the chaise lounge with Reyan in the living room. “Aaden!”

Springing up from the chaise lounge, Aaden collected Sehun into his arms and embraced him tightly when Sehun ran to him. “I had missed you so much,” Aaden huffed against Sehun’s neck, holding him against his chest.

“Me too!” Sehun panted, pulling back so that he could take a good look at the man. _His_ man. He blinked, jaw falling slack as he ran his fingers through the freshly cut hair that was cropped short at the sides but was slightly longer at the top. His beard was also trimmed shorter than usual. “You had a haircut!”

Aaden chuckled. “Yes. I needed to get all that hair out of my face.”

Sehun pouted, his fingers still resting against a side of Aaden’s head. “I loved that hair,” he muttered under his breath.

“You did?” Aaden arched an eyebrow. God, it had only been four days since he had last seen Aaden, and Sehun had missed him to the point where it was leaving him with no sleep at night. That was how he knew that he could not live without Aaden in his life.

Then withdrawing even further away, he surveyed the uniform Aaden was clad in. The silver chains that adorned the black jacket of the uniform, the medallions on the shoulders, the broadsword that was hanging at a side. As much as they all looked incredibly good on the man, Sehun wanted nothing more than to rip them all off from Aaden’s body. They had not shared many intimate moments since the night at the clothes shop, and Sehun was hungering for Aaden’s touch. It was one of the reasons why he was having some sleepless nights lately.

“How is everything at the palace?” he asked to divert his attention from those lewd thoughts.

“Busy,” said Aaden. “I’m sorry I could not get away sooner. It was just one meeting after another. I had to be there with the Prince.”

“I understand,” said Sehun, although he was selfishly hoping that things were not the way they were.

“It will all get better once the coronation is over.”

Sehun bowed his head. “Will you stay here tonight?”

Reyan stood up then with a frown. “No, he will not,” he said, scowling lightly. “He says he must leave in a moment.”

Aaden pinned Sehun with an apologetic look. “I am expected at a banquet tonight. All of the royal family will be attending.”

Sehun’s heart skipped a beat. All of the royal family. Which meant Alvar was also here. In Skairon. In the capital. Every memory about the man felt like an open wound that would never stop hurting Sehun. It was so unfair that even the mere thought of Alvar could cut him so deeply. He did not think that what he had had for the man was the sort of real love he felt for Aaden. But Alvar had still been many of his firsts, and Sehun would not deny that he had expected and hoped and dreamed for so much with Alvar.

_“I loved you,”_ he recalled telling Alvar. So heartbroken. So wounded. So afraid. So betrayed.

And all that the man had said to him in return was, _“Yes, I know… And look where that has gotten you.”_

Sehun did not think that he could ever forgive Alvar for having used him like this. For promising him so much. And then for hurting him so cruelly.

“Come,” Aaden said, taking hold of Sehun’s hand. He led Sehun out of the house and stopped before the horses. Sehun’s chest warmed at the sight of Aaden’s smile. He really had not smiled like that in a long time. He was happy now. Sehun could tell. Some men would only find peace where their ambitions lay. But that did not mean their love was not real.

“What is it?” asked Sehun.

“This is Merrygale,” said Aaden, placing a hand on the mare’s mane. “She is one of our most true-hearted warhorses. Her rider recently retired, and it is about time she did, too.”

Sehun’s eyes were all wide and starry as he approached the horse. Aaden took his hand and placed it on the mare’s forehead. “She is so… beautiful.”

“I know. Blackfire has been trying to hump her silly.”

Sehun gave Aaden’s proud stallion a disapproving look.

“She is yours now.”

Sehun turned to Aaden, face paling with shock. “What?”

“I just thought you might need a horse,” said Aaden.

If only they were not standing on a street that was thronging with vendors and beggars and scuttling children, Sehun would have thrown himself onto Aaden and kissed him.

“I will take good care of her,” he promised, pressing a side of his face against Merrygale’s. She let him. She only pulled away to hiss at Blackfire when the beast sniffed her mane.

“I must go now,” Aaden then said with a sigh.

Frowning, Sehun slid his fingers into Aaden’s hand and held it for a moment, gazing into Aaden’s eyes longingly. Aaden leaned forward and let their foreheads touch just for a second before he drew back.

“None of this means that we cannot be together, Sehun,” he said, his expression hardening instantly. “Don’t think that this changes anything between us.”

“I did not think that,” Sehun murmured sadly. “I just miss you. That’s all.”

Aaden’s lips curled into a faint smile. “The absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.”

“You have no idea.” He sighed. He then stepped back as Aaden swung onto Blackfire’s back and grabbed onto the reins. “Be safe.”

“Always. And I am never too far away from your reach.”

Sehun smiled and nodded his head lightly. As Aaden rode away in the direction of the palace, Sehun wondered if just one kiss before they parted once again would have been too much to ask.

He really hoped that Aaden was right and that him getting his captainship back would not drive them apart.

With a heavy heart, Sehun turned to Merrygale and smiled lovingly at her. “Let’s get you unbridled, shall we?” he said and took her reins, leading her toward the hitch post behind the house. He could ride her to Lily’s shop tomorrow. She might even enjoy the view away from the bustling city.

* * *

The next morning, Sehun and Reyan roused early so that they could head for one of the morning markets. Merrygale needed some horse supplies.

“Now, stay close to me,” Sehun told Reyan, even though he knew that the boy was more accustomed to the city than he was.

“Where would I run off to?” Reyan grumbled, rolling his eyes. He slung his arm around Sehun’s, anyway. “It’s a little cold.”

That was the doing of last night’s rain. It had also made Sehun’s bed colder than usual.

“Do you think Brother is all right?” asked Reyan as they wended their way through the crowded marketplace.

“I am sure he is,” Sehun replied. “It’s a place and work he is quite used to.”

Reyan did not say anything more.

They got Merrygale a large sack of horse feed first. Though Reyan behaved nothing like a boy his age, he certainly did retain the strength of one. He offered to carry the sack on his shoulder when he saw Sehun struggling with it.

“You do it so effortlessly,” Sehun said, gaping at the boy’s strength. All Skair men were unmatched when it came to brutal strength, he presumed.

Reyan was happy to hear that. “Thank you.”

“Lily said that I can bring you along today to the shop,” said Sehun. “Do you want to go with me?”

Reyan nodded his head eagerly at once. “Lily. The funny man.”

Before Sehun could respond to that, he bumped into a group of people, who almost had him stumbling back. Steadying himself, Sehun looked up at the man he had walked into.

Instantly, his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

“Well, well, well,” Golddust sang, crossing his arms over his chest. “Will you look at what we have here…”

Sehun was frozen where he stood for a moment, his unblinking eyes fixated on Golddust and his band of friends. Mousefeet, Sehun recognized one of them. The others, he was not quite sure he remembered.

“I knew you must be around here somewhere now that Ragnavor is back at the palace, bossing us around,” spat Golddust as he took a few steps forward. For every step he took, Sehun withdrew one.

“You sure must have some balls showing your face back here,” said Mousefeet, snarling and smirking at the same time.

Golddust scoffed. “If I had been you, I would have poisoned myself and died after that embarrassment. But I suppose only people with some dignity left in them would be worried about things like that.”

Sehun knew that his words were meant to be knifing and hurtful. But he wished that he had a sword close at reach so that he could stick it in the bastard’s skull.

Golddust was clad in a guard’s uniform. But not a King’s guard. Just an ordinary palace guard. Sehun presumed he did not make the cut. Not even after he had played a snitch for Prince Fredegar.

“You leave him alone,” Reyan yapped, putting himself between Sehun and Golddust.

“Oh, it’s you. Reyan Ragnavor. The Captain’s slow-witted, useless brother.”

Reyan’s breathing quickened. He looked mad and upset and close to tears. “Stay away from us!”

“No, I will not,” snorted Golddust before he shoved Reyan back by the chest. Stumbling, the boy dropped the sack of horse feed to the ground. Another shove had Reyan falling to the ground, too.

“Stop!” Sehun screeched, dropping to his knees to help Reyan up.

“Whore!” Golddust spat at him then. Most of the people in the marketplace turned their attention to them. Blood filled Sehun’s cheeks while his insides turned into knots. He thought that he might just throw up. He felt so sick. “That’s what you are, you know. A whore. Just because the Prince let you go scot-free, it doesn’t mean you get to walk so freely.”

Reyan pressed his face against Sehun’s shoulder, crying softly. “Make him go away. I will… bite him otherwise. I don’t want to… hurt him. Brother will be disappointed if I do,” he mewled against Sehun.

Gritting his teeth, Sehun glared at Golddust then. “Your Captain will have your head if he hears of this,” he warned Golddust. “Go ahead. Make him your enemy.”

Golddust’s jaw tightened visibly. He then spat on the ground next to Sehun before he and the others began to walk away. “This isn’t over, you sly bitch.”

Swallowing a sob, Sehun curled an arm around Reyan’s back and helped up get back to his feet. “Are you all right?” he inquired, dusting off the dirt sticking to the boy’s back.

“Everyone is so mean in this world,” Reyan spat, scowling furiously. “Everyone but you, me and Brother.”

Sehun picked up the sack and said, “Let us go home now.”

* * *

“I look stupid,” remarked Reyan grouchily once Lily was done dressing him.

Sehun could not stop staring. He had never seen Reyan in anything as fine as what he was wearing now. Lily had clothed him in a deep blue tunic with gold embroidery. Its sleeves were embellished with laces and pearls while its high collars were padded with gold threads.

“How does it look on him?” asked Lily, rubbing his chin dramatically.

“I think it looks wonderful,” Sehun let out. If only Reyan combed his hair and wore some boots instead of the worn-out footwear, he would look as good as any nobleman’s son.

“It’s too tight,” mumbled Reyan, twisting uncomfortably in the tunic.

“Good appearance often comes at a price,” said Lily. “You have nice, broad shoulders. And a good height. But you whine too much and complain way more than your big brother.”

Reyan yanked the tunic off and was relieved to be shirtless for a while. He then plumped down on the floor and began to play with the tubs of sequins and rolls of yarns.

“Will you be here early in the morning on the morrow?” Lily asked Sehun. “We ought to make journey to the palace at daybreak.”

“Of course,” said Sehun. “I have packed everything you asked for.”

“Good. The royal seamstress is very nit-picky. Pleasing her would be quite challenging.”

“I did not think anyone in the royal family appreciated your sense of style.”

Lily arched an eyebrow at him. “It is hard not to take offence in that.”

Sehun pursed his lips.

“But with the coronation coming, the seamstress is looking for ideas. She has summoned all garment-makers and outfitters of Skairon for inspiration.”

Sehun could already imagine the displeasure in the royal seamstress’ expression when she was presented with Lily’s outfits. But he was determined to support the man at his side no matter what, even though Aaden would strongly oppose it.

“I will be here early tomorrow,” Sehun promised. He then handed Reyan his shirt. The boy was reluctant to put it back on, but he did anyway.

On their ride home later in the evening, Reyan asked if they should tell his brother about what had happened at the market with the bullies.

“We shouldn’t,” said Sehun, gripping the reins of Merrygale. “Your Brother has just gotten it all back. We know that he would do anything to protect us. He would not think twice when it comes to you especially. I worry that he might… do something he would regret later if he knew about what happened today.”

Reyan understood. He pressed his forehead against Sehun’s shoulder from where he sat on the horse behind Sehun. “Okay,” he muttered softly. “I don’t want cause him any more trouble.”

“Me neither.”

“I won’t tell him anything.”

* * *

“Can you believe it?” said Lily as they ambled through the streets of the capital, attracting more attention to themselves than the man selling shark fins.

“What?” asked Sehun.

Everyone who walked past them eyed Lily with a strange and shocked look. Lily certainly did not help with his huge, red feather hat and puffy blue trousers. Not to mention the atrociously striking yellow tunic he was wearing. He was even sporting golden sapphire earrings. He was determined to leave an impression on the royal seamstress on his visit, be it a good one or bad.

“A city this vast and glorious yet they lack any sort of verve and vivacity.”

“I do not think most Skairs share your panache, Lily,” commented Sehun. “But in Novalon, it is a different case. Everything is so… brilliant and beautiful.”

“Yes. I have heard a lot of good things about the city of splendid wine and shimmering gems.” He grinned at Sehun.

The wagon of trunks did not feel as heavy as Sehun thought it might as they lugged it through the city all the way up to the palace.

The closer they got to the palace, the faster Sehun’s heart drummed. He had been excited to see his friends from the barracks who had been so kind and caring towards him. But after his meeting with Golddust yesterday, he began to wonder if the incident had changed everyone’s perception of him. What if they all now saw Sehun with the disgust Golddust had? He did not think that he could bear such a rejection from another loved one. Even so, he decided to take the chance. He had missed everyone so dearly. Asscrusher, Bonemight, Steelshout, Ravenfist, Ragepelt, Boulderhide, and of course, Skullmane. The last he had seen her when she came with Steelshout and Ragepelt to see Aaden, he had not been able to meet her eyes or be himself. He was too worried of what she thought of him now. Especially since he was living with Aaden, having run away from home, unlike most well-bred sons of noble families.

“What has your drawers in a twist?” Lily asked, noticing the distress in Sehun’s face.

He let out a heavy breath and wiped a trickle of sweat from his forehead. “I don’t know what the people I had befriended back at the palace think of me now.”

He had not told Lily everything. But the word of the scandal had reached Lily’s ears, too. Even so, the man acted as if he had heard nothing. He did not treat Sehun any differently.

“If you worry too much about what others think of you, you will never be able to live your life to the fullest in the way you want to,” Lily said in one of his moments of solemnness, which were as scarce as hen’s teeth.

“That isn’t the worst advice I’ve heard,” Sehun admitted with a smile.

“No, it isn’t. Try not to concern yourself too much about satisfying others. Especially those that would not do the same for you. Mankind will never be satisfied. They will always find some fault in everything.”

That was not a bad advice either. Trying to satisfy a man was what had brought Sehun to all this humiliation and grief.

“How do you look at the world in such a fresh perspective all the time?” asked Sehun, truly in awe of Lily’s sagacity.

“I am a prodigy,” said Lily with a toothy grin. “I offer my counsel in my infinite wisdom because you seem to be a little lost, my friend.”

“Lost?”

“Yes, lost. Perhaps you have some doubts about… the man you are in love with.”

Sehun frowned. “I do not doubt my love for him.”

“Then are you doubting your love for… someone else?”

Sehun was too tongue-tied and confused to say anything henceforth. He only stared at Lily for a moment before he turned his gaze away. The heat of the morning made his flimsy shirt stick to his skin.

He tried to push Lily’s words out of his head and focus on the palace they were approaching. He wondered if he could sneak away for a while to meet Aaden. It would be a nice surprise, would it not?

When they reached the gates, Sehun stayed with the wagon while Lily handed the royal seamstress’ invitation to the guards. With an approving nod, the guards then let them through, none paying any attention to Sehun. Of course, Sehun might have caused the horrible scandal, but he was still a nobody. No one would even remember him. Not many knew his name. But Aaden… He suffered the most from the disgrace. His entire character would have been assassinated. Everyone in the country and beyond knew the name of the Captain of the King’s Guard.

Aaden had done and sacrificed so much for Sehun. The more Sehun thought of it, the more his loyalty and appreciation for the man grew. Lily was right about not concerning oneself with the satisfaction of someone else. But Aaden was not just someone else. He was Sehun’s. And Sehun was his. They were promised to one another now.

The palace walls and floors were grander than the last time Sehun had been there. Work for Prince Fredegar’s forthcoming enthronement ceremony was at full tilt. Servants were beetling through the outside corridors, bearing chalices, vases, platters, flowers, carpets and all sorts of decorative items.

“Have you been here before?” Sehun asked Lily, who seemed surprisingly calm for a commoner who was given the chance of stepping into the house of Kings.

“Yes, quite a few times,” said Lily. “This isn’t the first time the royal seamstress has asked for my opinions, although she never took any of them seriously. Not that she has given me any credit for it if she has otherwise.”

“Really?”

“You did not hear this from me.” He gave Sehun a knowing look.

Sehun nodded.

“But she takes what she needs for inspiration and alters it to make it seem her own,” sighed Lily. “Quite cunning that lady.”

“Yet you still pitch your ideas to her,” said Sehun.

“If I don’t play along, she would close my shop.”

“Do all royalties take people like us for granted?” Sehun muttered in a low voice.

“You might not want to say such things when we’re in their home,” Lily whispered to him. Sehun pressed his lips into a thin line and followed the man through the courtyard in silence.

When they finally arrived at the seamstress’ workspace in the hall near the infirmary, Lily turned to Sehun and said, “You should wait here. I will take this.” He lifted the two trunks from the small wagon into his arms and started for the door. “Go find your friends.” With a smile, he turned away. But before he could walk into the room, a woman shoved the door open and stepped out, clad in a tight-fitting gown with simple yet elegant details threaded to it. She also had her hair tied in a long braid.

“You!” she gasped, looking to Lily.

The man put the trunks down and did a full bow to the woman. “Madam Prudence,” said Lily. “It has been a while.”

She gave Lily’s clothing a cursory look before she grimaced at the hat he donned. “The fabric you have used for your distasteful hat. It looks quite durable.”

Lily removed his hat. “It is. And it is waterproof. Perfect for rainy season.”

The royal seamstress’ eyebrows rose. “Now, where did you manage to find a thread so fine?”

Sehun was appalled by the way she cut straight to the chase without a formal greeting.

“Come inside, haberdasher,” she then said, ushering Lily into her workspace. Lily glanced back at Sehun once before he followed the seamstress into the room with the trunks of clothes, fabric and sketches of garment ideas.

Sehun swallowed and glanced around him as he perched himself on the balustrade of the corridor. Then he spent a several minutes worrying his lower lip, looking in the direction of the barracks. He was not sure how many of them were on their shift, but he knew he would find some of them at the barracks. If no one, then at least Skullmane. Or he could even go look for Aaden.

He would only tell them all a quick hello and return before Lily was done with his meeting with the royal seamstress.

Rising from the balustrade, he started to wander down the corridor, heading for the barracks first.

The last time he was here, he had been preparing himself for a journey to the borders. He had known then itself that when he returned, he would not be the same person anymore. But he had failed to foresee the degree of change that would be transpired. He had many regrets. But he supposed having those regrets were better than still hiding in the comforts of home, where he was deemed to be worthless by his father.

He kept glancing around him, noticing every servant and guard walked past, looking for more familiar faces. The servants were making their way to the main bailey, bearing armours and weapon racks. Sehun wondered what was to take place in the main bailey that required all these things. With his attention diverted from his path, he knocked into something hard on his way and was forced to a halt in the corridor.

“I am so sorry,” he began to rasp, looking up at the man he had crashed against.

If eyes could wield the power of paralyzing someone, those two pools of icy blue ones were the master of it. Sehun felt his blood run cold as the fine hairs on the nape of his neck rose. His palms turned clammy, his fingertips losing their warmth. All blood drained from his face while his mouth turned dry, his heart forgetting the rhythm of its beat for a moment.

Horror coiled around Sehun’s neck like the bony limbs of death. Even though he knew he had to look away before he could get sucked into the abyss of agony and heartache, he could not turn his gaze away from those eyes.

And then a small smirk curled a corner of the man’s lips.

Sehun heard nothing but only the erratic beats of his heart for a while.

“Sehun,” said the deep, husky voice Sehun thought he had long forgotten. Now, every memory of that voice flooded his mind and made it difficult for him to think.

Alvar still maintained a short hairstyle and sported a thick but sharply-cropped beard. Sehun suddenly remembered what it was like to run his fingers through those golden strands while the beard scraped his neck. Then he remembered Alvar’s hot breath against his skin. He remembered the man’s honeyed words and beautiful promises. He remembered worshipping Alvar, proffering his heart while his body burned under the man’s.

Then instantly, all forms of anger shot through him and filled his chest.

He turned around to walk away before he could do or say anything that he might come to regret. But as he turned on his heel, his arm was caught in a brutal grip, a familiar hand tightening around his elbow.

He did not struggle to break free. Instead, he turned and glowered at Alvar. “Unhand me,” he growled through his teeth.

Alvar smirked at him as though he found Sehun’s threat to be amusing. “Since when do you shy away from my touch?” he asked with that vanity that Sehun had once admired. But now, it seemed like nothing more than repulsive arrogance.

Sehun forcefully yanked his arm free and stared daggers at the taller man. “Since I realized that you were a heartless man who betrayed my love and took advantage of my innocence.”

Alvar stared back at him for a moment before he scoffed out a chuckle. The laughter left Sehun aghast. He was so hurt and Alvar still had the heart to laugh at him after all that he had done? Of course, he was a Prince of Slavaria, bastard of not. He would walk over anyone as he pleased. Sehun had no one to blame for his mistakes but himself.

“Do not take me for a fool, sweetheart,” Alvar said at length. “I betrayed your _love_? Do you mean to tell me that you did not spread your legs for Aaden Ragnavor?”

Sehun searched for his voice quickly. “I did it for you. To… get you what you wanted. I was willing to… debase myself to prove my loyalty to you.”

When Alvar raised a hand to a side of his face, Sehun did not flinch away. He gently brushed Sehun’s cheek with the back of his fingers and leaned down, as though to kiss Sehun’s lips. But he stopped a couple of inches away and glared into Sehun’s eyes.

“I do not recall asking you to make a whore of yourself,” Alvar said in a menacing whisper before he drew away.

Sehun stood still, cold and horrified.

“Loyalty?” Alvar scoffed. “You speak of loyalty? All that you are is a foolish little boy.”

Sehun turned away before the tears brimming his eyes could fall and betray him. “What have I ever done to you? Why must you… ruin and hurt me like this?”

“You are no victim, Sehun,” said Alvar. “You were about to betray me. I saw your allegiance shift.”

“I would not have,” Sehun rasped, looking back to the man with tears blurring his vision. “I would never…”

“You were lying to me then and you are lying to me now.”

Sehun gave up. He was far too emotionally scarred by Alvar to put up with this any longer. He gazed up at the man with so much pain in his eyes.

“I want to move on,” he said shakily, voice breaking. “From you. I do not wish to… hurt every time I think of you.”

Alvar’s expression shifted. His eyebrows rose in something like surprise. “Hmm.” He took hold of Sehun’s chin then and raised it so that he could look into Sehun’s bleary eyes once more. A tear rolled down the corner of those eyes. “Even after everything, you still love me.”

Sehun choked on his breath. _I do not,_ he wanted to say. But he could not find his voice. It was almost as though his chest was making it impossibly tight for him to even breathe those words out.

“Does your now lover Aaden know of this?” asked Alvar, his voice a sharp whisper. Then with a slighting smile, he released Sehun’s face and walked away, brushing past Sehun. While there was not a single stagger in Alvar’s stride, Sehun’s knees, on the other hand, turned to water, and he held onto a pillar to steady himself. Then he took a few minutes to catch his breath and recompose his wits.

When he looked up again, he found Lily standing in the corridor with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You have gone a little pale,” he remarked, fixing Sehun with a pitiful frown. Sehun did not know how much the man had seen or heard, but he did not object to the embrace Lily laid around him as he enveloped him in his arms. That was when Sehun broke into a sob against Lily’s shoulder. “Shh. It’s all right. Everything will be all right.”

* * *

“Drink up,” Lily said, sliding the tankard toward Sehun.

Although Sehun wanted to just head back home and curl up in his bed where he could weep all night long, Lily had insisted that they stop at one of the taverns in the city and nurse Sehun’s heartache.

Sehun picked up the tankard and gave its content a sniff. The sharp stench made him turn his face away sharply. “I do not prefer dark mead,” he said, nose scrunched up.

“But it will get you right where you want,” said Lily, nodding his head, urging Sehun to take a sip. “Go on.”

Brows furrowed and lips curled sourly, Sehun took another look at the black drink. His eyes were heavy and tired from all the tears they had shed. Especially when Alvar did not deserve those tears.

But the words he had said continued to ring in Sehun’s ears.

_I do not recall asking you to make a whore of yourself…_

Had it been Sehun’s mistake after all? Was he the one to be blamed? Did Alvar have justifiable reasons to doubt Sehun’s love and loyalty after all?

Would it have all been different had Sehun not gone to Skairon at all? Would he and Alvar still have had a chance then? Would the Prince had kept his promises?

Sehun took hold of the tankard in both hands and downed the drink fast, not waiting for the taste to sink into his tongue. Then slamming the empty tankard on the table, he clenched his eyes. The effects of the mead were almost immediate. They made his head spin and vision blur when he opened his eyes again.

“Wow,” Lily let out, blinking.

The aftertaste of the mead was terrible, though. Sehun fought the urge to wash it down with some water. Or soap.

“You know,” Lily then said. His voice sounded clearer than ever. “You give your weakness power only when you run away from it. Run towards it and you take away its power.”

Sehun wiped a tear that rolled down his cheek. “I don’t know how… I don’t know why… everything about him… still pains me.”

“It happens when you build too much hope, only to have it all crash and burn.”

“I love Aaden,” Sehun said in a quiet whimper. “I do not love… him.”

“And I believe you,” said Lily. “That does not mean you have gotten the closure you need. Some… wounds need to be closed before you could completely stop them from hurting.”

“He would not allow it,” Sehun breathed out. “Every time, he leaves… without a closure. It has been happening since the first time we met.”

“He wants you to yearn for him. All Kings and Princes believe they have the power to make people like you and me beg for their kindness. And in your case, affection.”

“I do not want his affection,” Sehun spat. “I want him to look me in the eyes and tell me that he never wanted anything to do with my love and that he only used me, and he never meant to keep any of his promises. I want him to just… tell me that and let me go.”

“I don’t think he is holding you back, Sehun,” said Lily. “It seems as though… you are holding yourself back in his name.”

Sehun dropped his face into his hands and drew in a few sharp breaths. “I will not cower before him again.”

“Good.”

They drank some more. Sehun was suddenly not ready to leave the tavern. He wanted to stay here and drink and drink and drink until his body gave out and he could no longer think about anything.

But then Lily dragged him up to his feet and escorted him home. He told Sehun something about needing to go back to the palace tomorrow as per the royal seamstress’ order. Sehun drawled to him mindlessly that he would go along.

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” asked Lily, an arm hooked around Sehun’s waist to keep him steady.

Though Sehun’s body was all wobbly and weak, his mind retained most of its sentience. The mead took most of its toll on his physique. Which was why he could barely walk straight.

“What if you run into him again?”

“Then I will tell him that I harbour no love for him no more,” Sehun spat. “He will not make me feel weak again.”

Lily only sighed.

Sehun pointed to the house across the street when he finally saw it. “There. I can walk from here.”

“Are you sure?” asked Lily, though he was already withdrawing his arm from Sehun.

Stumbling and staggering a little, Sehun nodded his heavy head. “I will be fine. Thank you, Lily.”

“Do not mention it. I will see you tomorrow then.”

Sehun bowed his head again and started teetering across the street.

All the tears and mead had worn him out. He knew that sleep would come easy to him tonight for that he had not craved it as much as he did now.

He stopped on his way to check on Merrygale at the back of the house. He halted abruptly and rubbed his eyes on the hilt of his palms when he thought he saw another horse with her. He wondered if the darkness of the night were playing tricks on his eyes.

But it really was Blackfire, seated on the ground, gazing forlornly at Merrygale, who was sleeping under the horse shed.

Aaden was here.

Even though Sehun wanted to see him right that instant, his intoxicated body only allowed him to take small, slow steps. When he had eventually gotten to the door, he pushed it open and almost spilled into the house.

Something smelled so good. If only his belly weren’t already so full from all the mead, he would have been hungry.

He heard voices. Reyan’s at first. Then Aaden’s.

“Sehun, you’re back.”

“Sehun.”

Sehun wanted everyone to be quiet for a moment. The taste of the mead still lingering in his mouth made his stomach lurch.

Somehow managing to raise his head, he blinked lazily at Aaden, who was hurrying to his side. He had removed the jacket of his uniform, but he was still clad his work shirt and trousers with the broadsword hanging at his belt.

“God, what happened to you?” gasped Aaden, winding his arms around Sehun’s waist and held him up when Sehun nearly toppled over.

Holding onto the man’s shoulder, Sehun straightened up before leaning against Aaden’s shoulder. “I had a bit to drink,” he drawled sleepily.

Aaden’s breathing calmed again. But he looked surprised when Sehun glanced up at his face. “You smell of… mead.”

Sehun nodded his head shakily. “Lots of mead. But I had good… reason to drink.” He let out a hiccup and started to slide down Aaden, lowering to his knees.

“Were you out with that man, Lily?”

Sehun gave another nod.

Aaden scowled now. “Perhaps we should get you to bed.”

“You’re… here,” Sehun mumbled as Aaden yanked him back to his feet.

He then scooped Sehun up into his arms like a groom bearing his new bride and started for the bedroom.

“Are you staying the night?” asked Sehun in a drowsy murmur, resting his head against a side of Aaden’s shoulder while Aaden bore him to the bed. “Please, stay.”

Aaden did not answer as he laid Sehun down on the bed and started to remove the boots from Sehun’s feet.

“No!” Sehun squawked, pulling his feet away from Aaden.

Aaden glared at him. “No?”

“Come here,” mewled Sehun then, patting the bed next to him. “See. Now we have a bed large enough for the both of us. Did you notice?”

Aaden rubbed his forehead that was starting to form wrinkles of exhaustion. “I have had a long day, Sehun.”

“Not as long as the one I’ve had, I’m sure,” Sehun mumbled into the pillow, eyes barely open. Unable to protest again, he stayed still while Aaden took the shoes off his feet and placed them on the floor.

“I don’t know what has gotten into you that you went and got yourself sloshed this bad,” said Aaden, frowning.

Sehun caught hold of the man’s shirt by the abdomen and yanked it forward. Stumbling, Aaden plumped down on the edge of the bed.

“I love you,” Sehun breathed out slowly, eyes only half open. “Aaden Ragnavor… I love you. You are… formidable. In a way that… scares me sometimes. But I love you for everything… you are. You must be… the strongest, bravest, nicest man I have ever met… and will ever meet.”

All frustration drained from Aaden’s expression as it was taken over by a small smile and a pleased look. “Perhaps you should get drunk more often.” He slid a hand across Sehun’s abdomen and let it rest on his belly for a moment.

Sehun had a hard time forming words with Aaden’s warm hand pressed against his stomach. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

“The way you… care for me…” Sehun then drawled, throwing an arm over his shut eyes. “I could never… reciprocate it. I don’t have the… capacity. I hate myself for it. I’m sorry… I can’t… give you more.”

Aaden withdrew his hand from Sehun’s belly and said, “You should sleep, Sehun.”

“Sleep with me,” Sehun said, taking the arm off his face so that he could look at Aaden again. The man scratched his bearded jaw and shook his head.

“Not when you’re like this,” he said and leaned forward to press a kiss to Sehun’s forehead. “Get some sleep.”

As he rose from the bed, Sehun seized his hand. “Will you… be here when I wake up… in the morning?”

Aaden bowed down and laid another kiss on Sehun’s hand that was gripping his arm. “I am needed back at the palace.”

Sehun released him and buried a side of his face in the pillow. Though he had his eyes shut and mind already seeking sleep, he heard Aaden stop in the doorway and whisper, “I love you too, Sehun.”

That night, in his sleep, Sehun dreamed of a golden-haired monster. Its blue eyes pierced through Sehun like a vicious flame. Its sharp teeth bared at him, threatening to harm him, break his skin, bleed his flesh. And all that Sehun did was lay there and let the monster have him.

* * *

He woke up with a terrible pounding in his head. And it would not seem to stop.

He found Reyan in the kitchen, seated at the table, probing a shortsword and its sheath.

“Reyan,” Sehun rasped. “Where did you get that from?”

Reyan lifted his head and blinked at the messy state Sehun was in. “Why do you look like you walked through a hurricane?”

Sehun groaned as he sat down in one of the chairs and rubbed his temples. “I don’t know.” He then carded his fingers through his mussed hair. “When did I come home last night? _How_ did I come home last night? The last thing I remember is… Lily and I… at the tavern…”

He stopped to entertain the images of Aaden that flashed before his eyes.

“I dreamed of… Aaden. Here.”

“That wasn’t a dream,” said Reyan. “Brother was here last night! He brought good food from the palace and this sword for me!”

Sehun stared at the boy unblinkingly for a moment. “He _was_ here?”

“Yes! He left in the middle of the night, though. He said there is some celebration at the palace today.”

“Oh.” Sehun eyed the sword. “Why did he give you a sword?”

“For my protection.” He grinned. “I have never had anything so pretty.”

“You ought to be careful with it. It’s easy to cut yourself.”

“Brother told me that he would teach me how to use it later this week!”

Sehun finally managed a smile. “Well, I can teach you a thing or two about wielding it, too.”

Reyan cocked a doubtful eyebrow. “You can’t use a sword.”

Sehun pouted. “That’s not true. I did learn how to use one back at the barracks. Your brother gave me some lessons himself.”

“Really?”

Sehun sighed. “But perhaps it is best if Aaden teaches you.” He rose from his seat. “I must take a bath and go see Lily.” He vaguely remembered promising Lily something. “Do you want to come along?”

Reyan nodded his head. “Can I bring my new sword along?”

“If you want.”

* * *

Reyan proved to be useful by tagging along. Lily had a few more trunks to bring up to the palace today upon the royal seamstress’ request. Loading them into the wagon needed more than two pairs of hands.

“She likes your ideas?” asked Sehun on their way. This time, however, they had hitched the wagon to Merrygale to lug.

“She seemed desperate,” said Lily. “The Crown Prince wants more flair added to his outfit for the coronation. He isn’t like his father, the old King. He wants to put on a show, I suppose.”

“That is fantastic,” said Sehun, genuinely happy for this honour bestowed upon Lily. “You will get to design the future King’s clothes for his crowning ceremony.”

“Oh, I’m sure my name will be buried under Madam Prudence’s. But still, it is better than sitting around in an empty shop all day, sharing gossips with my shop boy.”

“I did not know you loathed sharing gossips with me that much.”

Lily smirked and threw an arm around Sehun’s shoulders. “About what happened yesterday…”

“I don’t remember much about yesterday.”

“Do you remember your encounter with… you know who?”

Unfortunately, Sehun did. He looked away, frowning. “I wish not to speak about it anymore.”

“Of course. But I am obligated to remind you of what you said in case you run into him again.”

Sehun stared at him.

“Your exact words were, ‘Go fuck yourself, Alvar Skyborn’.”

Sehun grimaced. “I could not have said those words.”

Lily chuckled. “No, you didn’t. But you _did_ say that you will tell him that you harboured no love for him no more.”

The words seemed even harsher than the ones before. Sehun glanced to Reyan, who was walking on the other side of the horse, still fascinated by his new sword. Boys would be boys, Sehun supposed. Well, not him, though. He never wanted swords or such things. Not at any age. And he doubted Lily did, too.

The palace was noisier than it was yesterday. Reyan was practically jumping with the excitement of being back here.

“The well! The well!” the boy exclaimed, pointing toward the courtyard.

“Stay with us, Reyan,” Sehun told him. He was promptly distracted by the discordant noise that came from the main bailey. Men were shouting and cheering, their booming voices overlapping one another. “What is going on over there?”

Leaving the wagon behind, the three of them started toward the source of the uproar. Even the servants and guards thronged the corridors, gawking in the direction of the main bailey.

In the midst of the roaring cheers, Sehun heard men grunting and growling in rage. Was it a fight? Why would everyone in the palace be witnessing a fight with such amusement instead of breaking it up?

But then he found the crowd of spectators in the main bailey that was gathered around a ring of duelling. Flunkeys stood close to the ring, hands holding different types of swords and shields.

“Oh,” Lily let out at Sehun’s side. “It’s a duelling competition held prior to the coronation. The winner who bests all of his opponents would be honoured with a medal at the coronation and dubbed the King’s champion. He would receive all kinds of rewards. The last King’s champion still lives on the top of a hill in an extravagant manor with his children and grandchildren.”

Sehun tried to stand on the tip of his toes to get a better look into the ring. He managed to spot two very tired men, armoured and armed. They brandished their swords one last time before charging at each other like a couple of mad bulls.

“Can anyone participate?” asked Sehun.

“Yes. At least those who are not afraid of dying in the ring.”

“Dying?” Sehun asked.

“If none of them surrenders, the duel will go on until one of them kills the other.”

Sehun was horrified to hear that. “These people would watch someone kill another man for sport?”

“It is a great honour, Sehun. Do not belittle their tradition while you are in their midst.”

Sehun swallowed hard and looked back at the ring. Then his eyes darted to the tent under which Prince Fredegar, Alvar and their Captains stood. Sehun’s throat tightened as he looked to Alvar and then to Aaden, whose attention was on the ring of duelling and the men who were beating each other to death.

“Honeypearl,” a woman’s voice called from the crowd. Sehun quickly searched for the owner of the voice and found Skullmane jostling through the spectators to get to him. “What on earth are you doing here?”

“I came with Lily,” he said.

“Lily?”

“To see the royal seamstress.”

Skullmane frowned. “Well, she isn’t here.”

“I know,” sighed Sehun. “But this… This is unbelievable.”

“You probably shouldn’t be here.”

“Why?”

Before Skullmane could reply or drag him away from there, he was knocked forward by Golddust, who found him in the crowd.

“Look who’s here.”

Mousefeet and another one of Golddust’s followers caught hold of his arms. Sehun froze for a while, taken aback by the sudden attack.

“Golddust, get away from him,” spat Skullmane authoritatively.

Golddust made a face at her. “You are no one to command us. You have no rank, woman.”

Sehun tried to break himself free but his struggle was to no avail. The crowd of cheering and screaming men closed in around him and made it difficult for him to fight back.

Lily had long stepped out of the crowd and was now calling out for Sehun, searching for him in the horde.

“No!” Sehun shouted at Golddust who was dragging Reyan through the crowd by the arm. He had no idea what was happening, but Mousefeet released him after a few more seconds. Baffled, Sehun shoved through the men and stopped abruptly, gaping at Golddust who forced Reyan into the ring.

“He wants to fight the next round!” Golddust announced with a smug smirk.

Reyan looked lost as he glanced around him, frowning at all the men who were laughing at him.

“Oh, no,” Sehun let out, chest heaving.

Golddust then entered the ring with Reyan and cracked his knuckles, grinning from ear to ear. “This should be easy,” he spat at the bewildered boy.

Sehun frantically looked to Aaden, who was staring at Reyan with a slack jaw and bulging eyes. He seemed too shocked to even turn a hair.

Reyan was shaking as he reached for his shortsword at his side when Golddust grabbed a silver longsword and flourished it skilfully.

“Wait!” Aaden gasped. “This is a mistake. That is my brother. He cannot fight. He doesn’t know how to.”

Prince Fredegar’s expression hardened at once. He began to say something but was stopped by Alvar, who said, “Let’s give the boy a chance. He seems determined enough. Don’t stop him now, Egar.”

Fredegar eyed his brother solemnly then. “He doesn’t have the wits to swordfight, Brother.”

“He is in the ring.” Alvar smirked at Aaden then. “Unless he yields, the duel goes on.”

Aaden gripped his fist and hurried to the ring, leaving his Prince’s side momentarily. “Reyan!” he cried furiously. “Yield and get out of there!”

Reyan shook his head. “I don’t want to!” he cried back. He was scowling at Golddust now, holding the sword out to the man. “I hate him.”

“Reyan!” Aaden roared now, jaw clenched tight.

The gong was struck, and the round commenced. With a cocky simper, Golddust charged forward. Reyan held his sword up in his trembling hands and shut his eyes tightly, panting hard for breath.

Sehun almost launched himself into the ring when Golddust did not stop.

But then Aaden drew his sword. The clean sound of the unsheathing of his sword cut through the loud noise in the air as he vaulted over the ring and lurched forward only a second away from Golddust’s sword landing on Reyan. Their blades clashed with a deafening sound.

Shoving Golddust back with his sword until the boy landed on his rump on the ground, Aaden took his stand before his brother and swung the sword in his grip before pointing it to Golddust.

“I demand a substitution. I will champion my brother,” Aaden spat, undoing the chains of his uniform jacket.

Horror rolled through Golddust’s expression then. Aaden turned to Reyan with a harsh glower, tacitly ordering him to step out of the ring. With tears in his eyes, Reyan immediately obeyed his brother’s orders and made his way back to Sehun.

Sehun wrapped his arms around Reyan and hugged him tightly. “Thank God, thank God,” he chanted, embracing Reyan in relief.

Golddust pushed himself up to his feet and gaped at Aaden in visible fear. If Aaden had scowled at him any harder, Golddust might have soiled his pants.

“I yield!” he declared before the gong could be sounded. “I yield!”

Alvar jolted up from his seat then and hurled the winecup he was holding in his hand to the ground before he started marching toward the ring.

“You will not hand him that victory so easily,” he said, undoing the laces of his overcoat as he approached the ring, his glowering eyes fixated on Aaden before they briefly flitted to Sehun in the crowd. Then he looked to one of the flunkeys and beckoned him over with a snap of his fingers. Every gesture that Alvar ministered spelled dominance and authority. And the crowd went wild for him. The King’s Guard, however, cheered for their Captain. Ragepelt and the others were there, standing near the tent, their faces full of anticipation and astonishment.

The flunkey hurriedly unfastened the buttons and laces of Alvar’s overcoat and shirt. “Armour, sire?” the flunkey rasped.

“There will be no need for that. Just bring me a broadsword,” ordered Alvar.

Bowing his head, the flunkey scuttled away to get him the sword while Alvar stepped into the ring after removing his shirt. Now, with nothing protecting his upper body, he stood before Aaden. Compared to Aaden’s leaner yet muscled frame, Alvar was burly and thickset, every inch of his body packed with thick, solid muscle.

Aaden did not look threatened in the slightest bit. In fact, he looked like he _wanted_ this duel between him and Alvar. Unhooking the rest of the chains of his jacket, he calmly peeled the article of clothing off and tossed it aside. Then unlacing the top three laces of his shirt, he glanced to Sehun and Reyan. He left his shirt on and faced Alvar once again.

Sehun almost asked him to reconsider this. But he knew better than to ask Aaden to yield to anyone, especially to Alvar. It would be another mark on his honour.

“This will be a fight to remember,” said Prince Fredegar, grinning with bemusement. “Are you sure you want to battle my Captain, Brother?”

Alvar turned to his brother and responded to his insult with a black look. “Perhaps you should not have given up your search for a new Captain so soon, Egar,” he replied.

As soon as the flunkey had handed Alvar a sword, the crowd burst into a roar, clamouring for the two men.

“May the best warrior win,” said Fredegar.

“This is madness,” Skullmane said. Sehun looked to her, wondering when she had found her way to the front and how long she had been there.

“Who do you think will be victorious?” Sehun asked her, his stomach churning painfully. If his heart beat any faster, it might just fall out of his chest.

“I… have no clue,” admitted Skullmane, frowning. She looked straight at Fredegar for a length and her gaze was returned. Sehun knew Prince Fredegar held a soft spot in his heart for Skullmane. But he was not sure what might have transpired between them in his absence.

He soon realized that his hands were trembling at his sides. He reached out and held Reyan’s hand. He did not think that he could not watch this duel without getting sick.

Under the scorching noon sun, Aaden and Alvar faced each other, swords in their hands. Only one would be victorious, and neither was the kind of man to surrender and shy away from a fight.

“Who are you cheering for, Honeypearl?” asked Skullmane.

Sehun’s laboured breathing made it impossible for him to focus on anything but his own breath. He tried to calm himself and watch the disaster that was about to unravel before him.

He did not have an answer for Skullmane’s question. He only wanted Aaden and Alvar to step out of the ring before they could hurt each other.

But then the gong was sounded.

Alvar engaged first, as expected. He launched himself at Aaden without holding any of his strength back. Sehun’s heart threatened to break out of his chest when Alvar swung his sword. Aaden dodged it, ducking under the slicing blade. He moved so gracefully and effortlessly, moving to Alvar’s behind in a single step. He brought his sword up just in time to block Alvar’s next strike as the Prince spun around with a reflex faster than Sehun could have seen coming. It was as though Alvar had expected Aaden to evade his first attack exactly the way he had.

Sehun realized that he had never really seen either of the men in a duel. What unfolded before him in that instant caught him in a trance like no other. While Alvar fought with brutal strength, Aaden’s tactics were a little more calculative and sharper. Between the two, Aaden was the finer swordfighter without a shadow of doubt. He had fought plenty to be bested by anyone in swordplay.

But Alvar’s strength was unmatched.

Though Aaden retained more energy than Alvar by sparing countless movements, he was starting to struggle with Alvar’s messy, unpredictable attacks. At one point, Aaden dropped under Alvar’s sword and knocked the Prince off his balance by elbowing the man in a side of his head.

Alvar stumbled but quickly regained his stability. But he looked madder now. Swinging the sword in his hand, he charged at Aaden and struck Aaden’s sword. It was deliberate. The pulling back, Alvar struck the sword again and again until it almost slipped from Aaden’s grip. With one final strike, Alvar’s blade shattered Aaden’s in half.

For a minute, the spectating crowd fell silent. Fredegar rose from his seat, gawking at his brother and Aaden in horror.

Sehun did not realize that he had not blinked for a while until his eyes began to hurt.

Aaden glanced down at the broken sword in his hand before raising his head to look at Alvar, who smiled arrogantly at him.

Aaden dropped the broken blade and tore the shirt off his body.

“No,” Sehun let out, choking on a sob.

And then Alvar threw his sword to the ground, too. It inspired a shock in everyone who was watching.

“They are going to wrestle each other,” Skullmane muttered at his side.

Sehun’s blood ran cold. Aaden was a fine fighter. But he did not possess the brutish, barbaric strength that Alvar did.

Which was why Alvar must have shattered Aaden’s sword first. He could still use his sword and defeat Aaden. But no, that would not be a victory worth the people’s praise. That cunning bastard.

Once again, Alvar was the first to attack. This time, Aaden did not evade the blow. He took it, right to abdomen, but he immediately returned the blow with the same force to Alvar’s face.

They both broke away for a moment to catch their breath before lunging back at one another, fists wound tight, teeth clenched.

Sehun covered his mouth with a hand to stop himself from breaking into a sob. Even if he could not bear to watch the duel, he was unable to look away. Every strike, every stomp, every blood that spilled made his heart gallop in dread. He wished that one of them would just yield already.

When Aaden raised a leg to boot Alvar in the chest, the Prince caught the Captain’s shin and almost swung him out of the ring, but Aaden lurched forward, stomping against Alvar’s chest and vaulted onto the Prince’s shoulders before he brought Alvar down to the ground. Elbowing Aaden in the guts, Alvar hurriedly scrambled back to his feet and grappled his arms around Aaden’s waist. He then lifted Aaden before bending backwards to slam the man against the ground.

The crowd was no longer cheering. They cried with every fall, they gasped at every blow.

Soon, Alvar was running out of energy. His movements turned slow. Blood and dirt caked his blond hair and beard while bruises dressed his body. Aaden was in no better shape either. But he still harboured more energy than the Prince.

Using that to his advantage, Aaden planted another blow to Alvar’s abdomen before he caught the Prince by the neck and slammed his head onto Alvar’s.

Sehun gasped so loud that his sharp breath cut through the racket around him. Aaden’s gaze darted to him at once. Sehun stared at him with eyes full of tears and worry, his mouth still covered by his hands.

Alvar followed Aaden’s gaze and pinned Sehun with a sidelong glance, too. Something shifted in his stance then.

Tightening his jaw, Aaden looked back to Alvar and headbutted the man’s face once more with twice the force. Alvar did not retaliate surprisingly.

Aaden rammed his head against Alvar’s again with a merciless thrust. Blood began to ooze out of Alvar’s nose. And yet, Aaden did not stop.

Sehun rushed to the ring but did not enter. Alvar dropped to his knees, head hung, chest heaving hard.

“Yield,” Aaden growled. He was just as exhausted as Alvar was now. But Alvar did nothing. He knelt there and eventually lifted his head to look up at Aaden.

With his teeth gritted, Aaden turned away momentarily and picked up the sword Alvar had tossed away earlier.

“What is he doing?” Skullmane rasped behind Sehun. “Why isn’t the Prince standing back up?”

Aaden returned to Alvar with the sword in his hand. “Yield,” he told the other man once more.

Alvar only glared back at him and breathlessly said, “No.”

Aaden swung the sword, aiming for Alvar’s neck.

“No! Alvar!” Sehun screamed, almost involuntarily. He did not know what had happened to his rationality, but he was rushing into the ring now.

Aaden had stopped, the blade less an inch away from the side of Alvar’s neck. Sehun came to a standstill, looking to Aaden, all bleary-eyed and ashen. Aaden looked away from Alvar and fixed Sehun with a pained look.

“That’s enough,” Prince Fredegar declared. “The competition will end here for today.”

Stepping away from Alvar then, Aaden dropped the sword and walked away, his hands clenching and unclenching.

Sehun should go after him. But instead, he looked to Alvar. The guards and flunkeys as well as Alvar’s Captain, Gael rushed to Alvar’s side to offer him some help. Then as they escorted Alvar out of the ring, the Prince stopped before Sehun and put a hand on a side of Sehun’s waist.

Sehun might have been too petrified by everything that had just happened to do or say anything. He simply stared at Alvar and wished that the man had not been bleeding so much. It was hard to look at.

Then taking the hand off Sehun’s waist, Alvar placed it on his shoulder. “Come with me,” he said.

Sehun glanced to Captain Gael, who looked ready to take him by force if he refused to fulfil the Prince’s request. So, bowing his head, Sehun quietly followed Alvar and his men toward the infirmary.

* * *

Nothing had been this overwhelmingly exacting since the confrontation he had had with Prince Fredegar. While standing in the quiet hallway, Sehun tried to hold back his tears. He still had not recovered from the shock.

Why had he done it? Why had he rushed into the ring when Aaden had been holding Alvar at his sword’s point? Yes, he would not forgive Alvar for giving him false hopes and then just leaving him stranded with no one to turn to. But did the man deserve to die?

And what about Aaden? Would he really have killed Alvar in the ring had Sehun not intervened? Would he have gotten away with killing a Prince? Even if it were a competition?

Sehun could not stop thinking about the way Aaden had looked at him in the end. He had looked so… heartbroken and devastated. Even though he had been victorious in the duel, he still walked away like the defeated. He was hurt. He was hurt by Sehun, who had so publicly proclaimed his concern for Alvar’s safety and life.

He jumped with a start when the chamber’s doors were opened. He pulled away from the wall, hugging his arms around his quaking body, and faced Gael, the Captain of Alvar’s soldiers and personal guard.

He looked at Sehun with a tired scowl. “He is resting,” he told Sehun, who did not know how to respond to that, so he stayed mum. “He wants to see you now.”

Anxiety clawed at the walls of Sehun’s stomach.

“Go,” the Captain spat, glaring menacingly.

Nodding, Sehun entered the chamber. It was dark. The drapes were drawn close, allowing almost no light into the room.

He looked around in the dark for a second until his gaze landed on Alvar, who was sitting at the end of his bed in an unlaced shirt, nursing a tumbler of drink in his hand. He set it aside and patted the bed near him, beckoning Sehun to take a seat.

Sehun did not move immediately. He looked at the bruises on the man’s body and face. There were even some bright red cuts on his cheeks. A side of his eye was black and blue.

“You need not be afraid,” Alvar said, his voice hoarse and fatigued.

Sehun rubbed his arm with a hand and slowly made his way to the bed. As he sank into a seat beside the Prince, he kept telling himself that he really did have no reason to be afraid.

He wanted closure. This was the perfect opportunity to get one.

For what seemed like an endless minute, Alvar observed him. Sehun kept his head low, not wanting to meet those cold eyes.

And then Alvar slid his hand over Sehun’s thigh, leaning in.

“Please,” Sehun let out in a whisper, grabbing hold of Alvar’s hand to stop him. “Don’t.”

Alvar did not retrieve his hand for that Sehun was still holding it. And when Sehun finally released it, Alvar sighed and withdrew.

“It’s okay to admit that you are still in love with me, my love,” said Alvar in that voice that sent chills down Sehun’s spine and made his heart waver.

“I’m not… in love with you,” Sehun stuttered out.

“The way you panicked for my sake a moment ago says otherwise,” Alvar exhaled, tilting his head toward Sehun until his breath grazed a side of Sehun’s neck.

Sehun clenched his eyes and fisted the hem of his shirt.

“Even Aaden saw it,” whispered Alvar, lips brushing against Sehun’s neck. “He knows now that I left a mark on you that is impossible to erase.”

His hand glided over Sehun’s thigh once more as his beard pricked Sehun’s earlobe.

“I know all about what you want, my love,” Alvar breathed out. “You want to be mine. There is no point in denying it after that little stunt you pulled in front of everyone.”

Sehun shivered, his throat closing around a thick lump that made it hard to breathe. Then in a shaky whisper, he said, “You are… toying with me… again.”

Alvar pressed a kiss to Sehun’s temple, his hand slithering into Sehun’s shirt at the back. He gently stroked along Sehun’s spine before clutching at a corner of the waist.

“And so what if I am,” purred Alvar. “toying with you? It is better than anything you could imagine.”

That was when Sehun sprang up from the bed and backed away from the Prince. “You are vain. And cruel.”

He could not stop himself once he had started. He wiped away the tears that streaked his cheeks and faced Alvar as bravely as he could in that moment.

“I will not let you ruin me any further,” he said. “You might be a Prince. But you will never be half the man Aaden is.”

Alvar’s expression hardened at once, his eyes narrowing into a scowl. “You might want to stop right there, darling.”

“Stop,” Sehun snapped. “Stop with your honeyed words. I will not fall for them anymore! I am… asking you to stop… holding me back.”

Alvar rose to his feet. “Am I the one who’s holding you back? I believe I gave you many good reasons to turn your heart away from me. I fucked you because I wanted to taste you. There was no love involved. But you knew that. You knew the kind of man I was. Yet, you fooled yourself into thinking that this could be what you wanted it to be. _I’m_ holding you back? I wasn’t the one who cried your name in the midst of a hundred people. I turned my back to you. I had walked away, and yet here you are. You will always come seeking me.”

The truth in those words cut Sehun so deep. “Not anymore,” he said at length. “I did not want Aaden to kill you today. I did love you. And that was a proof of my affection I had for you. You are a Prince and one day, you might even be King, if your plans go according to plan. But you won’t have many of those who truly love you. For that you hurt everyone that cares for you. Including your own family. You want to overthrow your own brother. You know no love, Alvar. And you never will. I will not be one of your bed whores no more.”

He turned around to leave but stopped again.

“I will thank you, however,” he said in a low voice. “You were kind and gentle to me when we…” he trailed off, words failing him momentarily. “You never hurt me physically. You never forced yourself upon me. I had wholeheartedly desired everything that you did to me. It was because of you I learned what love is and… what love isn’t.”

With that, he hurried out of the chamber.

He halted in his tracks when he found Prince Fredegar approaching the chamber with Ragepelt and Steelshout at his sides. Aaden was fortunately not there. But that caused Sehun more worry. Was he still at the infirmary attending to his wounds?

Prince Fredegar looked appalled to find Sehun there. “Will you never learn?” he spat at Sehun.

Sehun hung his head.

“Prince Alvar had summoned him, Your Highness,” Ragepelt quickly said. “He was simply following orders.”

“I do not trust you,” Fredegar told Sehun. “If I find out that you have been betraying me and Aaden again, I will have you skinned alive and tossed into the filthiest of rivers.”

As terrifying as that warning was, it brought Sehun with more sorrow than anything. He wanted nothing to do with this palace or Skyborn family anymore. This would be the last time he stepped foot into this place. He never should have wanted to come here again.

Once Fredegar had entered his brother’s chamber, Sehun turned to Steelshout. “Where is he?” he asked, glassy-eyed.

Steelshout frowned at him disappointingly. “I haven’t the slightest idea, Honeypearl,” he said quietly. “He just stormed off on his horse. But Babyfigs is waiting for you downstairs in the courtyard with a horse.”

Sehun nodded and thanked the man before he wended his way to the courtyard, dragging his weight on exhaustedly.

* * *

# C H A P T E R S I X

“I hadn’t meant to,” Reyan muttered on the ride back home. “I really did not think… it would turn out so… bad.”

Sehun could only sigh. He was too emotionally fatigued to even speak. He quietly stroked Merrygale’s mane with one hand with the other held the reins. He did not know where Aaden was. He wasn’t even sure if he knew what he would say to the man when he saw him next. Aaden had every right to feel betrayed by what Sehun had done at the duel. But how could he possibly expect Sehun to just stand there and witness the man he had once loved get slaughtered? Alvar was not a good man, no. But how could Aaden have the heart to make Sehun _watch_ that horror?

“Do you think Brother is… angry at me?” Reyan asked, dropping his forehead against the back of Sehun’s shoulder from behind where he was sitting on the horse. “I should have surrendered when he told me to.”

“It was a ruse,” Sehun muttered. “I’m your brother understands that.”

How much of it was a ruse, Sehun wondered. Did Alvar stop fighting back toward the end just to see if Sehun would react? Had he deliberately done it to spite Aaden? Did he lose the duel then? Or did he win by hurting Aaden in the worst way possible? It was a dirty ploy, to use Sehun against Aaden like that.

By the time they reached home, there was only but an hour or so left of daylight. Sehun reined the mare to a stop, gaze turning to the black stallion that stood on the doorstep. What was Aaden doing _here_? He should have gone to a physician to have his wounds looked at.

Quickly dismounting Merrygale, Sehun hitched her to a post and hurried inside along with Reyan.

His heart nearly stopped when he found Aaden seated on the chaise lounge, shoulders slouched, chin planted in his hands as he stared at absolutely nothing. The expression in his face was hard to look at. Sehun could not tell if it were anger, disappointment, sorrow or resentment. Perhaps it was all of them. And even the idea of that scared Sehun to the point where his stomach hurt.

“Brother,” Reyan began in a soft voice.

“Reyan,” Aaden said without raising his head or looking up. “Get to your room. Leave us alone for a moment.”

Reyan knew better than to disobey that order. He glanced to Sehun with a worried frown before he hurtled away to his room.

Sehun stood by the door, his heart pounding madly in his throat. Unable to do anything but just stand there like a statue, he surveyed Aaden’s disarrayed appearance. Dried blood caked many parts of his body and face. Though he was wearing a shirt, he had only a few of the laces tied.

When Sehun finally found the courage to move, he walked over to Aaden and tried to take hold of the man’s bloodied hand. “You should go to the physician. The cuts and wounds on your body need to be treated.”

Aaden harshly yanked his hand from Sehun’s.

In that moment, Sehun had almost died. Fear, worry, anxiety and misery began to fill his chest. “Aaden…” he let out, eyes blurring.

For moments, Aaden refused to speak to him. He would not even look at Sehun. And every silent second that passed between them was more torturous the one before.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun croaked out eventually, choking on a sob.

Aaden stood up then. Sehun held his breath, gawking at the man with wide, glassy eyes. Without even sparing him a glance, Aaden started for the bedroom.

Sehun followed him after a few beats.

“I am sorry,” he said again, following Aaden into the room. “But you should not have done it.”

Aaden finally spun around and looked at Sehun. His vicious eyes bored into Sehun’s without a single blink, his jaw tightened, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

“What did you say?” he asked, his voice nothing but a hoarse whisper.

Sehun swallowed before speaking again. “You were going to kill him,” he blurted out. “He and I are nothing anymore. But he had still… meant something to me in the past. And you were going to kill him… right in front of me. You knew that I was watching. Yet, you were going to hurt me, scar me by making me witness Alvar’s death by your hands.”

Aaden picked up an empty vase from the sideboard next to him and slammed it against the wall with a merciless force. Sehun jumped and gasped, throat tightening, as the clay vase was smashed to smithereens on the wall.

“I was never going to kill him,” Aaden shouted through his teeth. Sehun tried to ignore the tears that fell from his eyes then. “I knew what he was doing. I knew that he was putting on a show… for _you_. And I played along. And I suppose he was right.”

Sehun blinked the tears from his eyes. “He was… right about what?”

“About you still being in love with him.”

Sehun tried to find the words. He just could not bring himself to speak his heart or mind when Aaden was looking at him with such devastating hate and anger.

“I do not condemn you for still loving the first man you had loved,” Aaden then said. “But you could admit it, Sehun. You could admit that whatever I do will not be enough for you to love me more than him!”

“That’s not true,” Sehun rasped, crossing the room to get to Aaden. When he caught the man’s arm. Aaden shrugged him off and stepped away. “I was just… afraid…”

“How could I have been so foolish,” Aaden spat, glaring at the ground between his feet. “After all, I was the man you were willing to betray for your love for the Prince.”

“Aaden,” Sehun pleaded, sobbing. “I might have had the intention in the past. But I never… betrayed you. I could not. What I felt for you then and what I feel for you now are real. I love you. I love you.”

“Stop it,” Aaden growled, a hand flying up to grab Sehun’s neck as he turned around. He did not clutch at the neck or inflict any pain. He simply held Sehun in a loose grip and shoved him back against the sideboard. Though Sehun flinched, he did not struggle to break free from Aaden’s grip. Instead, he looked into Aaden’s fierce green eyes pathetically and pleaded.

“You have every right to be upset about what I did,” he said in a breathy whimper. He felt Aaden’s fingers tighten around his neck slightly. “But you must believe me. I only hold you in my heart. There is no place for anyone else, Aaden.”

Aaden stared sedulously into Sehun’s eyes, his teeth gritted, his nostrils flaring in rage. Then in a sharp breath, he said, “Lies.”

He looked like he might snap Sehun’s neck for a moment. But he lurched forward and rammed his lips against Sehun’s instead. The kiss, rough and brutal, caught Sehun completely off guard. Aaden barely allowed him any chance to return the kiss as he hungrily devoured Sehun’s lips with an open mouth and a demanding tongue.

A whimper broke from Sehun’s throat when his lower lip was caught between Aaden’s teeth. Aaden bit it so hard that its skin almost broke. Then after giving it a deep suck, Aaden released it only to shove his tongue into Sehun’s mouth once more. The kiss was the sloppiest and wettest they had ever had. And Sehun was fighting for breath. His hands shot up to Aaden’s chest before he clawed at the man’s skin with his fingernails, gasping and panting into the violent kiss. It was all spit and tongue. He did not realize that he was still crying until he tasted his own tears on Aaden’s lips.

He had never thought that Aaden had it in him to treat him with such roughness. Even then, Sehun desired it. In fact, in that moment, he wanted nothing less. He wanted Aaden to hurt him, give him both the pain and pleasure that would make him forget everything else for a while.

He slid his hands to Aaden’s back and gripped onto the shirt while Aaden bruised and abused his lips. As they began to throb with an oddly pleasurable sensation, Sehun moaned lightly into Aaden’s mouth. The lower part of his face also tingled and burned wherever Aaden’s beard scraped. It was a bliss on its own, and it made Sehun’s blood stir in his loins.

And then Aaden released the neck to bring his hand to grab Sehun’s ass. Sehun could not tell if it were a ferocious lust or a great anger that Aaden’s hands grasp hold of his ass and waist in such a forceful grip. But the way Aaden held him then, as he ravaged Sehun’s mouth, was almost painful. He could crush Sehun in his arms if he wanted to.

Sehun accidentally bit Aaden’s lip at one point when Aaden aggressively clutched at his ass. Hissing, Aaden finally broke the kiss and pulled back.

Sehun used the opportunity to catch his breath, even though breathing was the last thing he cared about right now. He needed Aaden’s lips upon his own again. So, he leaned in, hungrily chasing after the man’s mouth. But Aaden flinched back and looked at Sehun with a sudden coolness that was both alarming and incredibly arousing.

Sehun wondered if Aaden would make him beg after all that had happened.

“Get down on your knees,” Aaden then said, his chest heaving laboriously.

Sehun blinked confusedly for a moment. While his face was covered in tears, Aaden’s was dressed in blood. Whose blood, Sehun did not know. Was it Aaden’s or Alvar’s? Perhaps both. Neither of them cared much about the blood as Aaden raised a hand to Sehun’s shoulder and started forcing him down to his knees.

Sehun did not voice an objection as he lowered to the ground and steadied himself on his knees, head craned up to look at the other man with big, bloodshot eyes.

“Aaden,” he mewled softly, unsure of what he was doing down on his knees. And then Aaden started unbuckling his sword belt. Taking it off, he tossed the sheathed sword aside and began to undo the pearl buttons of his trousers with his piercing gaze fixed on Sehun. He did not look away even for a second. Sehun could not stop the flush that reddened his cheeks then as he realized what Aaden was doing.

Taking hold of his cock in one hand, Aaden brought the other to the back of Sehun’s head and tangled his fingers in the strands of Sehun’s ruddy hair.

“Open your mouth,” Aaden ordered, anger waning from his expression. Sehun could not read his face anymore. He did not try too hard to either. He simply did as he was told and parted his mouth open.

He wondered why Aaden was doing this now. Was it for some sort of reaffirmation that Sehun was his and not Alvar’s?

Sehun clenched his eyes as Aaden slid into his mouth until the head of his cock pressed against the back of his throat. Sehun retched a little and pulled back, coughing. Aaden’s fingers tightened around his hair then as he thrust his thick, swelling length back into Sehun’s mouth.

A small groan spilled from Aaden’s lips as Sehun hollowed his cheeks around the cock and started sucking it, smearing it with his spit and the heat of his mouth. His eyes watered when Aaden thrust repeatedly down his throat. Pulling back, Sehun wrapped a hand around the hardened shaft and tongued the slit of the cock before sucking on the tip of the foreskin, which had Aaden’s eyes rolling back.

“Fuck,” he let out in a hiss and tugged at Sehun’s hair to arch his neck back. Then bowing down, he smashed their mouths together and kissed Sehun sloppily, licking up the saliva and precome that were coating Sehun’s lips. Slowly, he drew Sehun up and back on his feet. The kiss was kinder and deeper now. And Sehun hungered for it all the same.

Aaden kissed him until their lips hurt. Then he withdrew and turned Sehun around before shoving him toward the bed. Falling onto the bed face-down, Sehun groaned weakly as Aaden brought a knee up to the bed and stripped Sehun of his pants. Then removing his own shirt and hurling it to the floor, Aaden positioned himself between Sehun’s legs behind him.

Sehun moaned into the mattress when Aaden fisted his shirt at the back and shoved it all the way up to the nape of his neck. Then bowing his head, Aaden spat onto the cleft of Sehun’s ass before licking the spit up. Sehun shuddered as the man’s tongue stroked his opening.

Aaden spat on it once more before he straightened up and lined his cock along the ass crack, rubbing the length against the opening. His hips slammed into Sehun’s ass as he leaned down and brushed a kiss against Sehun’s sweaty back.

With a coarse moan, Sehun pushed back against Aaden’s hips, grinding his ass desperately onto the cock. Grabbing Sehun’s waist, Aaden then plopped him onto the bed to lie on his back. It was getting dark outside. With no candle or lamp lit, the room gave way to the darkness of the blooming night. Still, Sehun could clearly make out the pained expression in Aaden’s face as he bent forward and kissed him.

Sehun took the liberty of enveloping his arms around Aaden’s waist then, wishing that the man would just get out of his trousers already so that he could feel all of Aaden’s skin against his own, covered in sweat, spit and blood.

His cries were muffled by Aaden’s lips when a finger slid into him. Almost immediately pulling out, however, Aaden disconnected the kiss to spit on his fingers before sliding them back into Sehun to stretch him open.

“Aaden,” Sehun panted against the man’s mouth as their lips hovered on top of each other without engaging in a kiss. With his eyes shut then, Sehun tightened his arms around Aaden and latched his teeth onto Aaden’s shoulder while his fingers curled and stroked his insides. Sehun’s toes curled into the mattress, and his body arched into Aaden’s.

He wished that Aaden would say something. Why was he doing this? Did he intend to punish Sehun? If that were the case, then why was he still holding Sehun so carefully in spite of his earlier efforts of aggression?

When Aaden finally replaced his fingers with his cock with plenty of spit, Sehun writhed and moaned, ankles locked at the small of Aaden’s back.

He let Aaden have a few thrusts before he pushed the man down to the bed and straddled him. Aaden looked a little surprised as Sehun sat down on him, his cock penetrated all the way in. Moaning and whimpering, Sehun brought his hands to Aaden’s sweaty, haired chest and stayed still for moment to get used to erection buried deep inside him.

Then taking his shirt off, Sehun slowly began to rock his hips and ride Aaden’s cock. His own erection was laying on Aaden’s abdomen, sliding back and forth along the crack of his abdominal muscles. Sehun lightly held his cock against Aaden’s rock-hard abdomen, so that with every sway of his hips, he could both ride Aaden’s length and rub his own against the friction of the solid muscles.

Aaden sat up, hands gripping the sides of Sehun’s torso, and latched his mouth around one of Sehun’s nipple. Burying his hand in Aaden’s hair, Sehun broke into moans while Aaden suckled him, tongue swirling and flicking around the hardening nipple. He eventually raised his head and kissed Sehun on the lips so tenderly that Sehun slowed down with the pace of his hips so that he could concentrate on the taste of Aaden’s mouth for a moment.

Neither of them minded the dirt and blood that Aaden’s body was covered in. In the heat of the moment, all that Sehun wanted was to allay Aaden’s anguish about what had had happened earlier in the day. He doubted that this would solve anything, but for now, he wanted to show Aaden that he was all his. His body was indeed Aaden’s temple now.

* * *

Sehun was not sure when he had fallen asleep during the evening. Was it right after Aaden had come inside him and he had come in the man’s arms? No, it must be sometime after that. He remembered laying still in silence with Aaden buried inside him for a long moment. He might have even fallen asleep with Aaden’s cock and come inside him.

But when he roused later around midnight and turned his head around, he found Aaden at his side, wide awake and staring at the ceiling of the room in the dark.

Sehun shifted on the bed so that he was now facing Aaden. For a long length of time, he said nothing and only watched Aaden be lost in his thoughts.

They still had so much to talk about, but Sehun supposed neither of them knew where to start.

Aaden eventually sat up and slouched heavily, scrubbing his face with his palms. Then lifting his head, he stared at a wall and muttered, “I cannot do this any longer.”

Sehun remained silent, confused about what Aaden was referring to. He could not do _what_ any longer?

Sitting up, Sehun stared at the man, who would not turn and face him. “What do you mean?” asked Sehun in a whisper.

Aaden rubbed his bearded jaw and said, “This.” He shoved the covers aside and sat up on the edge of the bed. “Us.”

Sehun’s heartbeat began to quicken dangerously. “I… don’t understand,” he let out, even though every muscle in his body was preparing him for a brutal blow.

Drawing a deep sigh, Aaden said, “Perhaps the best favour that we could do for ourselves is… to stay away from one another.”

Sehun was on the verge of tears. “You don’t… mean that,” he whimpered out, his voice breaking. Aaden fell silent. “Aaden?”

“I promised to never… give up on you,” Aaden said at length. His words were thick with sorrow. “But I can’t do this anymore.”

Sehun clutched the blanket to his chest and stared down until a teardrop fell from his eye. “No… You cannot come to this decision… because of what happened today. I told you… It is not what you think it is.”

Aaden turned around then. “It’s too hard for me. I can’t… be torn like this. Time and again.”

Sehun looked up and faced Aaden with a set of furrowed brows then. “Is this because what I did or because… you just don’t want to be with me anymore?”

Aaden stared at him, seeking clarification for that accusation.

“You made a mistake once by… taking my side. You lost everything. But now, you have gained it all back. And are you pushing me away because you do not want to risk it all again?”

Aaden shot up from the bed then and pulled his pants on. “You and I both know that I am not that kind of man,” he spat angrily at Sehun now. “But you’re right. Perhaps I do not wish to risk it all again for someone whose love I can never win when it is so effortlessly won by the other man.”

“I do not love Alvar,” Sehun cried, nearly begging. “I told him that I want nothing to do with him anymore. I want to move on from him. I want to be with… you. Why won’t you… believe me?” He planted his face in his hands despondently. Everything suddenly seemed so hopeless. He hated himself. He wished that he were dead instead of having to go through this amount of grief and fear of losing someone he loved. “Have I… really become so unworthy of your trust? Must you doubt my feelings and hurt me every single time?”

“Hundreds of people witnessed the way you had cried out Alvar’s name at the duel today, Sehun!” Aaden bayed, suffering in his own grief. “Tell me. What sort of man would just stand by and grin like a fool while his lover cried for another man?”

Sehun had no defence. None that was reasonable enough to appease Aaden’s grievance. He looked up at his lover woefully, weeping so hopelessly.

“What if… you did come to me because… you had nowhere else to go?” said Aaden then.

Sehun drew his knees to his chest and hugged his arms around his legs, face buried between his knees as he sobbed. “Please… Don’t say such things. I did not… use you.”

“You wanted to once, didn’t you?”

Sehun wished that Aaden would stop hurting him with his doubts. He had made a mistake, yes. But was this mistake going to haunt him forever for the rest of his life? Would it never let him catch a break? And the worst part of it all was that he could not even blame Aaden for his suspicions. Any man who was as burned as Aaden was would have his qualms. Especially after the kind of betrayal Sehun had committed.

When he looked up again, he saw tears glistening in Aaden’s eyes as the man stared at him, looking more heartbroken than Sehun was, if that were even possible. Because Sehun did not think that anything could mend his shattered heart if Aaden came to the decision that they should be together no more.

“You should leave,” Aaden muttered under his breath after a while, turning his back to Sehun.

“L-Leave?” Sehun felt his entire body turn numb and cold in that instant. “Aaden, you don’t… mean that.”

“But I do, Sehun,” the man sighed without turning to look at Sehun. “You have to leave.”

“Leave… you?”

Aaden hung his head. “I was willing to lay down my life for you. I left everything behind because of you. When you came to me, I promised myself to look after you and care for you the way no one else could. But I am done being made a fool. I now know where you heart wants to be. So, go. Leave me alone.”

With that, he picked up his shirt from the floor and started for the door. Sehun wanted to say something, to stop all of this from happening. But he could not get a word out as his head pounded severely and every muscle in his body numbed.

_Go. Leave me alone._ The words continued to ring in his ears as Aaden walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Sehun was paralyzed. Only a few hours ago, he was in Aaden’s arms, writhing and blooming at the same time, hoping that Aaden would never let him go.

In a single day, Sehun had lost everything. Again. Whether it was fair or not, he could not tell. But he knew one thing for certain. He could not go through a pain like that ever again. The pain of losing Aaden on top of all. This time, it was Aaden who had asked him to leave. The pain was overwhelming. The pain of realizing at Aaden no longer wanted to put up with him and he had been the reason for Aaden’s resentment toward him after all that the man had done to try and forgive him for his past mistakes, accept him for who he was now, protect him with his life. No matter how many times Sehun might tell Aaden that he loved him, actions speak louder than words. He knew what he had done today had wounded Aaden’s pride. Especially when almost everyone at the duel knew of Sehun’s scandal with Alvar and his current affair with Aaden.

This was not something that a simple apology could set straight. Sehun was done for this time. He could not change anything unless he could turn back time. He wished that he had never met Alvar. No, he wished that he had never met Aaden.

For that what Aaden was doing to him now hurt so much more than anything that Alvar had done to him. And for the reason that he was the cause of Aaden’s suffering, too.

When you love someone so much, it was so easy to hurt them.

Even though they had promised to not to give up on one another, Sehun understood that the best favour he could do for Aaden was to stay out of his life.

He lay on the bed sleeplessly until sunup. Then pushing the blanket aside, he climbed out of the bed and made his way to the bath. And while he washed himself, he could not help the tears that streamed down his face. He felt dead inside. There was nothing but sorrow and regret left within him.

* * *

“Sehun,” Lily rasped when Sehun showed up at the shop later that morning. “What happened yesterday? With you and the Prince?”

Sehun shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. He did not think that talking about anything to anyone would help him anymore. He simply wanted his pain to end, and that would not happen. Aaden resented him.

“I am leaving,” he told Lily in a strained voice. “And I don’t know when I will be back.”

“Where… are you going?” inquired Lily with a frown.

“Novalon,” said Sehun. “To see my family.”

Lily was surprised to hear that. “Oh. That is great. But will you back in Skairon?”

Sehun nodded. “I might.” There was still Reyan here. And Sehun wanted to say his goodbyes to boy last. “You have been the greatest friend an unfortunate soul like me could ask for. Thank you for all that you have done for me, Lily.”

He wrapped his arms around the man and hugged him, face pressed against Lily’s shoulder for a moment too long. He did not want to let go, but he did anyway before he could break into tears.

“I just wish that I could repay you somehow,” Sehun muttered as he pulled back. He wished that he could repay a lot of people. Especially those he had betrayed in the past. But he was tired of living off of everyone’s pity and favour. He had tried to tolerate the horrible feeling of depending on others for far too long only because he still had Aaden’s affection and support. He was willing to bite through anything if it would keep Aaden in his life. But now that Aaden himself no longer wanted him, Sehun saw no point to anything.

“Sehun,” Lily said, taking hold of Sehun’s hands. “I will never understand your inner turmoil. No one can except yourself. But I see a very lost boy, who almost looks like he is drowning. I have not known you for a very long time, but I can tell that something is causing you distress. I am always here if you need me. Just let me know in way I can help.”

“You have already helped me plenty,” said Sehun. “You are a good person, Lily. You deserve more than what the world is giving you.”

With that, he withdrew his hands from Lily’s and turned around.

“Wait,” said Lily. He hurriedly fetched a pouch from behind the counter and pressed it into Sehun’s hands. “Something for your journey.”

The pouch was filled with coins. “You don’t have to,” said Sehun.

“No. It is your wage. You have earned it.”

Sehun doubted that what he had done for Lily as his assistant at the shop warranted this kind of pay. But he did not find any more energy to refuse the favour Lily was offering him.

“Thank you,” he muttered and pocketed the pouch. “Goodbye, Lily.”

“Farewell, my friend,” said the man with a gentle but sad smile. “Until we see each other again.”

Sehun bowed his head and ambled out of the shop. As he mounted Merrygale, he gave the horse’s mane a few strokes and grabbed hold of the reins. It would be an exhausting ride to Novalon without any rest. But he must do this.

* * *

“You were not going to kill my brother in the ring, were you?”

Aaden raised his head from where he was sitting on a bed in the infirmary while a physician tended to the wounds on his arm. Shooting up to his feet, Aaden bowed his head to Prince Fredegar, who sauntered into the infirmary with Ragepelt and Steelshout at his sides.

“Your Highness,” Aaden muttered.

“You should sit back down and let him finish his work,” said Fredegar, jerking his chin toward the physician, who was wrapping a gauze wrap around Aaden’s forearm.

Aaden sank back to his seat and kept his gaze low. “I beg your forgiveness, Your Grace. I will be back in my post as soon as I am done here.”

“You should get some rest. A worn-out man is no use to me or my guards,” said Fredegar, perching on the bed across the one Aaden was sitting on. “Now, answer my question. You were not going to put that sword through my brother’s neck at the duel, were you?”

Aaden shook his head. “He was deliberately giving up in the end,” he said. “He was doing it for a show. I would have no honour if I had won the duel like that.”

“No, I suppose not,” murmured the Prince. “I know that he and I have our differences, but… I would have been very upset if you had killed him in the duel.”

Aaden nodded. Of course, above all else, Alvar was still Fredegar’s own flesh and blood. Aaden was not sure if Alvar shared the same sentiment, though.

“But something came out of the entire debacle, didn’t it?” Fredegar said at length, leaning forward as though he were to share a secret with Aaden. “You said that my brother was putting on a show. Was it for… the boy?”

Aaden clenched his eyes. Even the mere thought about Sehun caused him pain now. It had been the hardest decision Aaden had ever had to make. And he still was not sure if it were the _right_ decision. Had he done it to stop his own suffering? Then why did it still hurt so badly?

Sehun would have left already. Aaden was not there when the sun came up today. But he knew the boy would not stay when Aaden himself had asked him to leave.

It was the most difficult thing Aaden had to do. To stay put and not go after the boy.

He had felt cheated and betrayed once more when Sehun had rushed to Alvar’s side during the duel. He did not know until that moment that he was so fiercely possessive of Sehun’s affection that he would rather let go of Sehun altogether than to share his love with another.

Reassuming his position as Captain of King’s Guard came with all sorts of upsides and downsides. Nevertheless, he had been ready to give it all up if he had to for Sehun’s sake. The instant that this job clashed with his new dream, he would give the former up without a second thought. But then, yesterday had been a real eye-opened. He did not want to lose everything again for something that he was unsure of. He told himself many times that he could trust Sehun. And he still did. But there was only so much he could put up with when the boy he was so deeply in love with declared his concern for another man in front of everyone and in Aaden’s presence.

“He is foolish,” Fredegar spat when Aaden did not answer his question. “How many times will you forsake your own dignity for that boy, Aaden? You have everything. You have a golden opportunity that many, many covet. And yet, you risk it all time and again for… someone that is only taking advantage of your heart.”

It was not what Aaden needed to hear right now. He was already so confused as he was. While his head told him one thing, his heart was telling another. And he did not know which one to follow. The last time he had listened to what his heart had told him, he had gotten hurt. But he did not mind it because it had kept the person he loved safe.

“Prince Alvar does not… care for him,” Aaden said eventually. “So, why does he… do this? Why did he do that at the duel?”

“Is it not obvious yet? He is using Sehun to get to _you_,” said Fredegar, scowling hard. “He did it before, and he is doing it again. And you are letting him. You were once an unbreakable man because you had no weakness. But with this boy, Alvar is finding it all too easy to break you. He knows that for as long as you are on my side, he cannot dethrone me. And that is the same reason he could not convince my father to make him his successor in his old age. You were there, promising a better command and counsel than Alvar could.”

Fredegar rose to his feet then. He placed a hand on Aaden’s shoulder and sighed heavily.

“Do not break again, Aaden,” he said, sounding more like a friend than he ever had. “I know… what it’s like to… fall for someone you should not. It can’t be helped.” He seemed to be distracted by another thought momentarily. Then shaking his head, he said, “But we have other, more important duties.”

Aaden stood up and bowed his head. “I understand, Your Grace.”

The Prince gave him one final stare before he withdrew from Aaden and stepped out of the infirmary.

“Any orders, Captain?” asked Ragepelt, who was now second-in-command again. Not that the man seemed bothered by it.

“Tell the men to…” Aaden stopped himself, rubbing his temples. The painkilling brew the physician had given him to consume earlier was finally kicking in. It made his head spin a little. “Double the guards at Prince Fredegar’s quarters.”

“All right,” said Ragepelt before he too turned to leave. But he paused and faced Aaden again. “Don’t be too hard on Honeypearl. Which one of us hasn’t been in love before? We’ve all been there. We’ve all had a first love. And a second. And a third. It’s hard to stop caring for someone you once loved. He was only afraid.”

“I will seek your advice when I need it, soldier,” spat Aaden grouchily, plumping back on the bed. He had not meant to snap at the guard, but the fatigue and sleeplessness were finally starting to take a toll on his sanity. He laid down and threw an arm over his eyes.

* * *

“Captain,” a voice called. Aaden almost ignored it, thinking that it was a dream. But then he felt a grip on his arm, shaking him awake. “Captain.”

Cracking an eye open, Aaden drowsily looked at Skullmane, who was looking down at him in worry. “Skullmane,” Aaden groaned, pushing himself upright. He was still in the infirmary. The medicines must have put him to sleep. Or it might have just been the fact that he had not gotten any sleep last night.

Last night…

The last time he had gotten to feel Sehun’s touch, taste his soft lips…

“What is it?” he asked, breathing heavily as he scratched his beard.

“Your brother,” Skullmane said. “He’s at the gates and is refusing to leave until he has seen you. He seems distraught and was crying when I saw him.”

Reyan. What was he doing here?

Grabbing his shirt, Aaden hurried out of the infirmary with Skullmane. “Did he say why he is here?” he asked in a panic.

“No. He only said that he needs to see you.”

“He was not hurt or anything, was he?”

“I don’t think so.”

Aaden practically ran to the gates, where he found Reyan struggling to get past the guards. “Let him in!” Aaden roared at the guards, who were shoving the boy back.

Rushing past the guards, Reyan ran into Aaden’s arms, covered in tears and sweat. “Brother!” he shrieked, as though in fear and concern.

“Reyan,” Aaden rasped. “What are you doing here? What has happened?”

“When I woke up this morning,” Reyan whimpered, crying unchecked. “I couldn’t find Honeypearl! His pretty horse was gone, too. So, I went to the funny man’s shop, looking for him! Lily told me that Sehun had left. He is gone! He left me. He left without saying goodbye. I heard you two arguing last night. Did you hurt him? Did you hurt him to the point he ran away from us? What did you do?!”

Aaden had never seen Reyan so furious and emotional. He seemed so devastated and distressed. He was trembling, his eyes all red and swollen.

“Reyan, calm down,” Aaden said, though his own heart was galloping uncontrollably. Sehun had left after all. He did what Aaden had asked of him. He was gone.

While it was what Aaden had demanded of him, it still shocked the man and numbed his mind.

“Is he… really gone?” he asked Reyan.

Reyan nodded his head frantically. “I had to come find you! You have to go after him! We must look for him!”

Aaden caught hold of Reyan’s shoulders to stop him. Then as he shook his head, his brother stilled, eyes widening in disbelief. “We will not,” Aaden told him.

Reyan was astounded to hear him say that. He broke away from Aaden’s embrace and glowered at him. “I thought you cared about him,” he spat harshly at Aaden. “Are you the… reason he’s gone?”

Aaden did not answer that. Skullmane at his side looked away disappointedly.

“Did you… make him… leave?” Reyan asked, panting for breath. When Aaden did not answer him, the boy lunged at him and shoved him back by the chest. Staggering a few steps, Aaden gawked at his brother, who lurched forward and brought his hands up once again. He shoved Aaden back one more time before he shouted, “I hate you!”

All that Aaden could do was stare at the boy with perplexity. Reyan had never reacted this way before. He had never shown such repulsion toward Aaden. It went to show just how much the boy had come to care for Sehun.

“He was my best friend!” Reyan yapped at Aaden. “And you drove him away! I hate you! I hate you so much! Poor him!”

The boy was no longer crying. He was just fuming. He turned away from Aaden and ran out of the palace gates.

It seemed as though Aaden’s whole world was turning upside down, and he felt too powerless to do anything at this point.

He turned to Skullmane. “Will you do me a favour?” he asked.

Skullmane nodded. “I will go after him,” she said instantly and went after Reyan.

Aaden then started for Alvar’s quarters. Fredegar was right. Alvar was intending on using Sehun against him. And this would not end until Aaden confronted the bastard, not as Captain and Prince, but as two free men.

He found Gael standing guard outside of Alvar’s chambers. He stopped Aaden, hand raised to the other man’s chest when Aaden tried to walk into the chambers.

“You might want to stop right there,” Gael warned him.

Aaden caught the man’s wrist and twisted it in one hand before clutching Gael’s neck with the other, slamming him against the doors.

Gael grunted and gaped at Aaden. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I am in no mood for these niceties, Gael,” Aaden spat through his teeth. “You and I were rivals once. But you failed to come up to scratch. That falls on you and your embarrassing incompetence. I suggest you stop being a bitter little bitch about it. It has been many years. And _I’m_ the Captain here. You are just Alvar’s scullery maid with a fine sword and a fancy title.”

He released Gael’s neck and arm and stepped back, snarling at the man. Gael rubbed his throat with a hand and panted, eyes piercing into Aaden’s.

“Get the fuck out of my way,” Aaden ordered him. “if you do not wish for me to scar the good side of your face. I’m sure you remember how I put the first one on your face to begin with.”

Gael knew better than to challenge a soldier who outrank him in this palace. He stepped aside, though his hand reached for the pommel of his sword. Aaden knew that he would not draw his sword, though. He would always lack the courage to get down in a fight with Aaden if it came to it.

Bursting in, Aaden stomped into the bedchamber where he found two chambermaids in Alvar’s bed. They looked up at Aaden in horror before they hurriedly looked for their clothes.

“Out,” Aaden spat at them before they scurried out of the room, grabbing their dresses. He then glanced around to look for Alvar and his gaze eventually darted to the man out on the balcony.

The Prince turned around and scowled when his saw Aaden. Walking back into the room, he said, “You better have a good reason for barging in here without my permission, Ragnavor.”

Aaden noticed of the bruises on the man’s face and took a little pride in having been the one to cause them. Alvar deserved every one of them and more.

“Do you love him?” Aaden growled at him then. It pained him to even ask the question. How many men would have possibly gone through the agony of giving up someone they loved for another?

Alvar arched an eyebrow at him. “Who are you talking about?”

Aaden wanted to plant his fist in the man’s face again for playing coy. It was disgusting beyond reason. The sort of complacency Princes and nobles had was sickening. They would so carelessly play with an innocent’s heart and then toss it aside when they were no longer entertained.

“You darn well of whom I speak,” spat Aaden.

Alvar scoffed and smirked. “Why do you care?” He wended his way to the liquor table and poured himself a tumble of brandy. “Tell me. How did it feel to realize that the boy you’ve been bending and fucking could be thinking of… me all this time?”

Aaden fought the urge to lunge at the bastard and strangle him. He held himself back, knowing that Alvar was deliberately provoking him again.

“I know what is in _his_ heart,” Aaden said. As hard as it was for him to admit it, he had learned yesterday that whether or not he was in Sehun’s heart, Alvar was certainly still there. “I want to know what’s in yours. Would you… turn him away if he came to you?”

Alvar laughed then. “Not before giving him a good fuck, I can assure you.”

Aaden lost it then. Before he knew it, his hands were flying up to fist the Prince’s shirt. Alvar did not even flinch. He simpered at Aaden instead.

“I do not care if you are a Prince,” Aaden hissed like a feral animal. “I would break your skull right this instant and gladly put my neck on the executioner’s block for it.”

“I don’t doubt your valour, Captain Aaden,” Alvar snorted. “Or your temper when it comes to your loved ones. But whatever you came in here for, I’m afraid I cannot give.”

Aaden released the shirt and stepped back. “You will not use him against me,” he told Alvar. Then baring his teeth, he said, “I will see your brother’s ascension and reign through if it kills me. And you will never be King, Alvar. You are welcome to try, though. I will put a sword through your chest before I let your sick schemes succeed. But before that, I will delight in your failure while you stand in the shadows of your brother for the rest of your pathetic, worthless life.”

For the first time, he saw Alvar’s blood drain from his face as every last silver of his complacency ebbed and disappeared. He gripped the brass tumbler in his hand until it dented.

“And mark my words for that they are not idle threats,” Aaden added. “If you ever meddle in my life or of those whom I love again, I will not hesitate a second time to kill you.”

Alvar let out a nervous laugh in a breath. “You only had the first chance because I let you have it, Ragnavor.”

“I am a good soldier, Alvar. But I am better learner. I know how you fight. I know how to use your strength against you. I have taken down soldiers twice your strength. You really cannot think that the only reason I had bested you in that duel is because you had let me. We both know the truth.”

He turned on his heel and stormed out of there. He had wounded Alvar’s ego severely. And he knew there would be consequences. He best watched his back from now on.

* * *

When he went to see Reyan that evening, the boy had refused to talk to him. He stayed in his room and wanted no food or drink. He said that he just wanted to see Sehun again.

Aaden tried to ignore the voice in his head that echoed the same thing.

He went to the bedroom Sehun had been sleeping in next and stared forlornly at the bed on which they had made love for one last time the previous night.

Aaden fell forward on it and pressed his face into the pillow, drawing a hand over the cold space on the mattress. Everything smelled of Sehun. That sweet, honeysuckle scent that made Aaden’s eyes water now. He really hoped that he had made the right decision to break up. Nonetheless, he was worried about where Sehun might gone if he were not with Lily.

While he lay there, he reminisced the first time he had kissed Sehun. He had not known what he was doing. His body simply did what his heart was hungering for. It had almost felt like a primal instinct. And the instant he had felt those soft, warm lips against his own, he knew he was done for.

It felt like a lifetime ago when everything had been so gentle and pure. Now, their hearts were so tangled up that it was painful and impossible to untangle.

This was not the first time Aaden had to go through a separation. The last time he had done it, it was more permanent and undoable. He could not go where the one he loved had gone. But this time, the fact that he still had a chance to undo it and go after Sehun caused him more grief.

* * *

# C H A P T E R S E V E N

The last time he was here, he was running away from home in the middle of the night. Part of him thought that he would never return. He had believed that he would never see his family again unless they made the effort.

But here he was again, riding past the gates, looking ahead at the house. The rains and storms must have been worse and colder here because all the flowers in the front yard’s garden had withered. The lights inside the house were still lit when Sehun looked at the windows.

If only he were not so hopeless already, he might have been nervous coming back here after his father had told him to never return. And if he did, he would kill him. But Sehun no longer cared. He had never hit a bottom so low, he thought. The man he loved had told him to go away. Aaden had every right to do that. Even so, it hurt Sehun to realize that Aaden did not know just how hard and painful it would be for him to leave the man.

Reining the mare to a stop, Sehun dismounted her and gazed up at the front door. It felt like it had been forever since he had left home.

He gave the door a knock. A servant opened it with a weary look on her face. It was late and it was night, she had good reasons to be shocked when she found Sehun standing on the doorstep.

She gasped. “Master Sehun!”

“Is… Mother home?” he asked.

The servant turned around and hurried away to get Sehun’s mother. Sehun let himself in and closed the door behind him.

After a few minutes, he heard footsteps clattering down the east staircase.

“Sehun?” he heard his mother’s voice before he saw her hurtling down the stairs, tightening the silk robe around her. As soon as she reached the bottom of the staircase and saw Sehun, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. “Oh, my dear!”

She broke into tears as Sehun nuzzled into her perfumed hair, returning the embrace. He had missed her dearly. But he could live without her or the rest of his family now. He had grown used to their absence. But at the same time, it seemed impossible for him to go on without Aaden or Reyan, the family he had made along the way. A family he had chosen.

“How have you been?” his mother asked, weeping as she withdrew from the embrace to get a good look at him. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed both of his cheeks. “My word, look how skinny you have gotten.”

“I have always been skinny, Mother,” Sehun said with a weak smile. “Where is… Father?”

His mother’s face paled then. “He isn’t home. He is away on some business at the harbour. He will be back tomorrow.”

“Is that…” he heard another voice coming from the top of the stairs. Then he saw Ciana scuttling down in her nightgown, her eyes wide with pleasant surprise. “Taina! Kilah! It’s Brother! Brother is here!”

Sehun pulled away from his mother to receive his sister into his arms. Briefly lifting her off the ground, he spun her around. “Oh, Ciana.”

“Sehun,” Kilah then called in a gasp, running to him from the drawing room. “You are home!”

Only a short moment later, Taina and Ferhin joined him as well, all of them grinning and crying at the same time. They crushed him in a massive embrace. He longed to see Hanita too, but she was probably already in bed.

Sehun was overwhelmed by the amount of perfume he was surrounded with. It had been a while since he had been in the midst of his nice-smelling sisters. Everything about Novalon was now strange to him as he had had gotten used to the austerity and ruggedness of Skairon.

“Look at you,” said Taina, taking a step back. “You look like shit.”

Sehun rubbed the back of his head. “I haven’t really had the best past few days,” he sighed.

His mother pinned him with a frown. “I think perhaps you should take a bath and change into something clean and comfortable,” she said.

Sehun was not sure if that was the best idea. “I did not come to stay the night, Mother.”

“But you will do it, anyway,” his mother told him, taking hold of his arm. “Come away now. And girls, see to it that the servants heat up some of the mutton stew and bring it up to your brother along with some fruits and teacakes.”

“Yes, Mother,” said Ferhin.

Sehun did not fight his mother as she hauled him upstairs to his old bedroom with her. He was surprised to find all of his belongings in their place in the room. He had thought that his father would have gotten rid of everything that might remind the man of his shame.

“You kept my room as it was when I left,” Sehun remarked as he walked in. His mother quickly lighted the lamps and started a fire in the fireplace. Moments later, servants entered the room and hurried into the bathing chamber to draw Sehun a hot bath.

Then she rushed back to his side. “Now, come. Let’s get you out of those clothes and into the bath.”

Sehun had never really been embarrassed of undressing in front of his mother. But now, he was unable to do it for some reason. The only person who had seen him completely undressed in quite some time was Aaden. His mother took the hint and ordered the servants to give her son some privacy before she stepped out of the room with them.

Sehun did not see the point of indulging in any of the pampering. But just to make his mother happy for one last time, he took the bath and clothed himself in the clean clothes the servants had brought him.

When he stepped out of the bathing chamber, he found his mother awaiting him on the chaise lounge with a tray of food.

“I am not really hungry, Mother,” Sehun lied. He had been riding without any rest or food. What he really meant was that he did not have an appetite.

“Come sit with me at least,” she said, patting the chaise lounge next to her. Sehun did as she requested and sat down next to her.

Then raising a hand to a side of his face, his mother gently gave the scar on his cheek a caress with her fingers. “This is from when your father…” she trailed off, her eyes brimming with tears.

Sehun drew her hand away from his face and held it between his hands. “How is he?” he asked, hoping to hear that the man was happier now that Sehun was out of his life.

Everyone would apparently be happier without him in their life. Sehun knew that now.

His mother leaned forward and brushed a kiss to his forehead. “I had married a monster,” she said woefully. “I am so sorry… that I could not fight harder for you.”

“It isn’t your fault, Mother,” said Sehun. “I was the one who wanted to leave.”

“But I could have done something.”

“You did everything you could. You have five daughters,” Sehun muttered, smiling sadly. “They need to be married off. I understand that why you were unable to do more for my sake, Mother.”

That did not ease his mother’s pain. She sighed and dropped her head. “Speaking of which,” she whispered. “We have found a husband for Ferhin.”

Sehun’s heart leaped. “Really?” He grinned, feeling genuine joy for his sister. “That is wonderful. When is the wedding?” As he asked the question, he realized that he would not be attending Ferhin’s wedding. Or any one of his sisters’ weddings for that matter.

“We are thinking of in another two moons when the all racket about the new King’s coronation has calmed down.”

“I am so happy for. I will congratulate her myself later,” said Sehun.

His mother shut her eyes momentarily. When she opened them, they looked at Sehun pleadingly. “Why don’t you seek your father’s forgiveness? Perhaps he would let you come home.”

Sehun shook his head. “He will never forgive me. And… I can’t live here anymore, Mother. I don’t think I _want_ to.”

“You don’t… want to?”

“I love you all. Very much,” Sehun said. “But… I am a changed person now. I cannot live within these walls, fearing judgments and seeking Father’s approval. I am… tired.”

“But you will be with your family,” his mother said, squeezing Sehun’s hand. Then frowning, she asked, “What have you been up to? You left… saying that you want to be with that… man. Why are you here tonight then?”

Sehun found it incredibly hard to hold his sobs back in that moment. He wanted to break down to his mother, cry on her lap, listen to her comforts.

“I just… wanted to see you,” he said instead, managing a small smile. “I had missed you.”

His mother wiped a tear from her cheek and stroked Sehun’s cheek. “You are happy now, aren’t you?”

Something told Sehun that his mother could already tell that he was not happy. That something was wrong.

“Sehun, you can tell me anything,” she said. “The man you eloped with. What was his name again?”

“Aaden,” Sehun said. His throat burned and his heart ached just to say his name.

“Yes. Aaden.” His mother sighed. “How is he?”

Sehun only nodded his head with his lips pressed into a thin line as he was worried that if he opened his mouth and said anything, he might spill everything.

“Are you happy with him, darling?” she asked, carding her fingers through his hair.

Sehun nodded again before he settled his head on his mother’s lap. “I am very tired, Mother.”

“Then perhaps you should eat some and then try to sleep.”

But he simply stayed the way he was while his mother stroked his hair. A couple of tears which he shed after a moment soaked into his mother’s robe. He hoped that she would not notice.

“Your hair is so rough now,” he heard his mother mutter.

Sehun had not noticed. But she must be right. The heat of Skairon and the lack of quality hair soap might have made his hair coarse.

“It used to be so silky,” she added. “And your hands.” She took one of Sehun’s hand and pressed it to her face. Sehun felt his mother’s tears on her cheek. He raised his head and frowned at her. “They are blistered.”

None of these things Sehun had ever complained about. He liked them even. He was starting to love the kind of person he was becoming. He had scars. Each of them a story, each of them a mark of his victory over a struggle. But after the breakup with Aaden, he thought that there could not be a failure sadder than himself.

“It isn’t all that bad, Mother,” Sehun said, trying to ease her worries. “You know what? I am a little hungry.”

With a smile, his mother quickly picked up the tray and placed it between them on the chaise lounge. “Eat up, then.”

Sehun helped himself to the rosemary bread first. It had been a while since he had tasted anything as good as the herbed bread.

“Tell me about your life now, Sehun,” his mother asked. “How do you live?”

Sehun decided to tell the good part of his life. The life he had been living until recently. “There’s me, Aaden and his little brother.”

“Little brother? Does he live with you two?”

“Yes. But he is… He is nothing more than a child. It was as though… Aaden and I were raising a child together.”

He smiled at the thought and then lamented at another thought that told him that he could have even raised an orphaned child with Aaden in the future. They could have been parents. They might have even been secretly married. But now, all of that was nothing but a pipedream.

“I started working at a clothes’ shop,” Sehun said next, taking a spoonful of the spicy mutton stew into his mouth. “Its owner is very kind to me. He has to be the most… confident man I’ve ever met.”

“That is good,” said his mother, looking sincerely glad about how Sehun was doing for himself. “And how does… Aaden look after you?”

Sehun did not know what was it that she meant exactly. But he tried his best to give her the peace she was looking for. “He loves me, Mother. And… he makes me so happy.”

His mother grinned then. “Oh, Sehun. I am so grateful to hear that. Here.” She handed him a cup of jasmine tea. “Drink this. It will help you sleep better.”

Sehun took a sip of the tea. It slid down his throat and warmed his chest. “I would like to see Hanita before I leave.”

“She is asleep now. But you can see her tomorrow morning.” Her smile faltered then. “She missed you _so_ much, Sehun.”

“I hope she doesn’t forget me,” Sehun murmured, quickly blinking away the tears that formed in his eyes.

Once he was done eating, his mother left him to get some sleep as the night wore on. Sehun certainly had forgotten the comforts of his home that they were no longer all that comfortable to him. He would rather sleep on a cold, hard ground with Aaden than alone in this feather bed among these fluffy pillows and duvets.

The exhaustion of the ride and more tears helped him sleep after a while.

* * *

When morning came, Sehun wandered down to the dinner hall, clad in the some of his old clothes for that the servants had taken away the clothes he had come here in.

He found all of his sisters at dinner hall, making a huge, noisy fuss about tabling the foods and drinks. And God, was there so much!

“Sehun!” Ciana exclaimed, noticing her brother’s presence.

“Please tell me all of you did not have the cooks go through hell to have all this prepared for breakfast,” Sehun said as he walked toward the table.

“_Bwother!_” Hanita screamed as she ran over to Sehun with her tiny legs. “_Bwother!_”

“Oh, Hani!” Sehun rasped, crouching down so that he could pick his baby sister up into his arms. He then desperately planted kisses into her chubby cheeks. She giggled and returned the kisses, pressing one of them on Sehun’s lips.

“I missed you,” she squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“You have no idea how much I had missed _you_,” Sehun groaned, squeezing the girl in his arms.

“Come on now,” his mother said when she sauntered into the hall with more servants bearing more dishes. “Let us all breakfast together.”

Just as Sehun sat down at the table, Kilah came running into the hall. “Father’s here,” she gasped, looking to Sehun sadly. “He is coming inside now.”

Sehun glanced to his mother, who clenched her eyes briefly as her face twisted in anguish. “I should go,” Sehun said.

“No,” his mother replied. “You will stay as long as you want.”

“Mother, he is not going to be very happy about my return.”

Sehun rose to his feet, anyway. He had come here to say goodbye, and he would do that and leave now. He would go far away from here. He did not plan on seeing anyone from his family again.

“Goodbye,” he told them as his sisters and mother stared at him grievously.

He turned around and halted in his tracks when he saw his father sauntering into the hall. “What smells so goo—” he began to say but was cut short as his gaze landed on Sehun.

There was surprise at first in his expression. It was promptly followed by rage.

“How dare you come back into my home?!” his father roared, face reddening in a fury. “Did I not tell you? You would be crawling back here like a goddamn worm!”

“I did not come here to stay,” Sehun said with clear words and a stern voice. He had never spoken so boldly to his father. “I came here to see my family. I believe I have the right.”

His father was staggered by the gravitas in Sehun’s tone. “You think you have the right?!” he snarled. “You have brought us all nothing but shame! And you dare to come back here and stand so bravely before me, claiming that you have the _right_?!”

“Father,” Sehun then said calmly. “I know that I wasn’t the son you wanted me to be. I know that I have always let you down, and I have always been a disappointment, a shame to you. But there is nothing that I can do about it. I am who I am. Just the way you get to be you. But if you expect an apology from me for failing you and your honour, then I will say that I am very sorry. You are my father. And I am your son, no matter what. I am your blood. But I will not stand here and let you treat me the way you have all this time. If only you had given me the affection I crave so badly, I would not have sought it from others. You never taught me _anything_. You never read to me. You never spoke to me unless you wanted to berate me and crush my spirits and cultivate my insecurities. I turned out to be a disappointment because you were never there, because you were too busy chasing skirts of your bed whores and milking money from your wineries. I am done seeking your affection and approval. But _they_ are still my mother and sisters. I do not need _your_ permission to see them. And if you want to stop me, then try. Take out your belt, your cane, your riding crop, what have you. I would like you to try and hurt me now.”

His father did nothing but just stand there, stock-still as he gawked stupidly at Sehun.

Sehun huffed heavily and continued to glower at the man. “Farewell, Father.” With that, he glanced back at his mother and sisters one last time before he wended his way out of the dinner hall.

He found Merrygale in the stables, still bridled and saddled. Mounting her, he started for the gates, ready to journey back to Skairon for one last time.

He had one more goodbye to say.

* * *

It was evening when he reached the capital. His back was so sore that he thought his spine could never straighten again. The gentle light of an oil lamp was all that Sehun could see from the window of the house.

Noticing the absence of a certain black stallion, Sehun deduced that Aaden was not here tonight. So, it must only be Reyan who was at home. In the frenzy of leaving, Sehun had forgotten to leave any sort of message to the boy. He hoped that Reyan had not been too worried about his sudden disappearance. And even if he had been worried, Sehun was certain that Aaden would have informed Reyan of everything by now.

Hitching Merrygale to the post at the back of the house, Sehun spent a few minutes with the mare, rifling his fingers through her soft mane, pressing their foreheads together.

“Our time together was short,” he whispered to the horse. Merrygale nickered lightly, nudging her nose against Sehun’s head. “But I must part with you now.”

He was not going to take the mare, which Aaden had gifted him. It did not seem right. So, he had also come back to Skairon to return the beautiful gift.

He pulled away from the mare when he thought he heard a ruffling noise behind the house. He blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him or if he really did just see someone slink by.

Might be a vagabond or something. The streets were full of them.

He went into the house and looked for Reyan. The boy was not all that difficult to find as he was sitting in a corner of the living room, staring at his shortsword that was lying idly on the floor before him.

He raised his head to look up when Sehun shut the door behind him. Immediately, Reyan sprung up to his feet with a loud gasp. Sehun hurried across the room to get to the boy.

“Honeypearl! Sehun!” he cried, throwing his arms around Sehun. “I thought you had left!”

_Not yet_, Sehun thought, returning the embrace. “Were you worried?”

Reyan pulled away and scowled. “Yes. So much! I thought you were gone because of how mad Brother was at you. So, I yelled at him and scolded him and told him that I would never speak to him again.”

Sehun was so deeply touched by that. He had no idea that the boy cared so much for him. At least not to the extent that he would risk antagonizing his beloved brother.

It made it all the more tough for Sehun to say goodbye now. He knew he would not get through this without tears and pleas.

“Reyan,” Sehun muttered. “I will not be… staying here with you anymore.”

The anxiety and agitation returned to Reyan’s expression. “What?”

Sehun swallowed hard and curled a hand around Reyan’s wrist. “I _am_ leaving,” he whispered.

“No,” Reyan mewled like a kicked puppy, hands grabbing onto Sehun’s shirt. “Don’t leave. Please. Is it something I did?”

“No, no,” Sehun blurted out quickly. “It isn’t anything that you did. You have been a wonderful, loving brother to me. In fact, you are the only family who still… wants me.” He blinked at the tears and drew a breath. “But I must go now.”

“Sehun,” Reyan whimpered sadly. “Don’t go. I will be… lonely again. I don’t want to be lonely.”

“Rey—” Sehun was cut off by the front door that swung open out of nowhere and all of a sudden. Jumping with a start, Sehun spun around to look at who the intruder was. That was when he saw three masked men barge in with wooden clubs in their hands.

“Who are you?” Reyan asked, and one of the intruders swung the club he was holding.

Sehun lurched forward, crying Reyan’s name as the club slammed against the boy’s head. Instantly, Reyan dropped to the ground, knocked out of his consciousness as a trickle of blood rolled down his temple.

“No! Reyan!” Sehun screamed, trying to break free from the men who caught his arms and held him back. He did not know what was happening. “Who are you?!”

The third man, who had struck Reyan down, lifted the club again.

The first blow managed to deafen one of Sehun’s ears. For a few seconds, his vision tunnelled as the world spun around him. The pain did not sink in immediately. But the shock had paralyzed Sehun’s body. He had never had to endure anything more painful.

And the came the second strike to the same side of his head.

He felt the men’s grip loosen on his arms as he fell forward, losing total control of his body and brain. It was almost as though his head had come off, detached from the rest of his body.

The final thing that he felt before complete blackness and a dark abyss claimed him was his body hitting the hard ground. His eyes closed to the blurry sight of Reyan.

* * *

His consciousness returned to him in wisps. The first thing that registered to him was his burning lungs as thick, fiery air filled them. Sehun woke up, coughing and gasping, bathed in sweat and soot. As his eyes opened, he blinked at the billowing black palls of smoke around him. A side of his head throbbed painfully. He groaned and looked to the growing fires from all the corners of the room.

For a moment, Sehun stilled, unable to process the sight before him. He gawked at the blinding colours of the fire that licked the walls and rose to the ceiling of the room, obliterating everything in its path. Then as panic began to build in his chest, Sehun panted for breath, glancing around him frantically.

It was then when he realized his hands were tied at his back. He looked down to his feet and found a rope tied around his shin as well. The horror quickly began to sink in. The very floor he was lying on was slowly turning into a furnace while everything else was desecrated to dust.

Those men who had broken in earlier. They had done this.

Coughing, Sehun tried to sit up but was unable to with both his hands and legs tied. He then glanced to Reyan, who was still unconscious.

And the dread grew tenfold.

“Reyan!” Sehun screamed through the thunderous sounds of the rapidly expanding fire. The house was burning down to a rubble. “Reyan, wake up!”

He tried to get onto his knees so that he could at least crawl to the boy. But then a ledge from the ceiling crumbled, giving in to the engulfing fire. Sehun rolled away as the enormous ledge collapsed and plummeted down to the ground between him and Reyan.

“Reyan!” he cried again, looking around him, panic-stricken. He was at his wits’ end as he watched the house fall to pieces. They were running out of air, too. Sehun pushed himself up to sit and looked past the fallen ledge. The door was too far away for him to reach, even if he somehow managed to climb over this ledge. But Reyan could still get out.

“Reyan!” he wailed, fighting for breath. “Please, wake up! Please! Reyan!”

He then stopped when he heard screams from outside.

“Help!” he howled at the top of his spent lungs. His throat was so dry that it had begun to hurt. “Help! We need help!”

Another ledge fell from the ceiling, dressed in flames, and crashed against the ground near him with a roaring thud. Sehun looked over the ledge once more to check on Reyan with sweat and tears bathing his face.

“Reyan, please, wake up,” he sobbed, heart clamouring for the boy’s safety.

And then he heard more people caterwauling outside of the house before he heard a bang on the door. Someone was attempting to open it, but the chairs that were deliberately stacked against it created an unfortunate obstacle. The windows were also barred for anyone to get through them.

It was too late. The fire was too strong, too big. Anyone who walked in here might be engulfed in it, too. Sehun glanced around him once more in a frenzy. There had to be a way. He did not care much about himself. But he needed to get Reyan out of here.

And that was when his eyes darted to Reyan’s shortsword on the ground.

He wriggled and slithered across the floor, not minding the small fires that scorched his skin. He was starting to suffocate, drowning in a sea of smoke. The closer he got to the sword, the further away he was from the door and Reyan.

Every wood in the house caught the heinous fire. By the time Sehun managed to reach the sword, his lungs were full of smoke. His head dropped to the ground, his mouth gasping for a drop of clean air.

The door was finally kicked open. But the men hesitated to enter, reluctant of jumping into the fire and risking their own lives.

“Save him!” Sehun shouted with whatever voice that was left of him. “Please, just… save him!”

The men looked to Reyan, who was closer to their reach. Two of them burst into the house then and hurried to Reyan’s side.

“It’s the Captain’s brother!” one of them yapped as they lifted Reyan’s unconscious body before the fire could get to him. Sehun dropped limply against the floor. The men searched the room for Sehun, who was hidden by the fallen ledges and vicious flames.

“There’s someone else,” another cried.

“We must get out of here now!” a man said and scurried out of there with Reyan.

Sehun wished that the fire would just kill him already. But he knew it would take his life little by little. It would delight in burning his flesh inch by inch until nothing remained.

Some of the people tried to contain and put out the fire with pails of water. But Sehun knew that he would be long dead before the fire was extinguished.

He simply surrendered to the fiery oblivion that greeted him.

And then he heard heavy and rapid footfalls. His eyes cracked open just a little to look at the man who lifted the ledges and tossed them out of the way.

“Sehun!” he heard Aaden’s voice in the midst of the fire’s raucousness.

_Aaden,_ Sehun wanted to say, but he could not. Insentience already had him in its clasp.

He felt Aaden’s strong arms envelope around him. Then he felt himself pressed against the man’s chest. Aaden’s heart was pounding. And then Sehun fell unconscious, falling limp in Aaden’s arms. He could only hope that this was not just a dream.

* * *

It would not be a surprise if he said that he believed in things such as soul mates and intertwined destinies. Not many believed in those. But what would you it then when two people were constantly drawn to each other? When fate kept pushing them back together no matter how the number of times they tried to part ways? Would it all be just a colossally fortunate coincidence? He did not think so. The universe held so many secrets. It could not be that simple. Especially not in the matters of the heart.

Many thought of him as young and naïve for loving so deeply that it sometimes hurt. Many thought of him as a hopeless romantic, who had distorted perceptions about true love. Because in this world, true love was hard to come by. And he was deemed foolish for chasing after it.

But what would mankind be without love? Was it wrong to want it? Was it wrong to sacrifice so much for it? Sehun could love like that. But he would not ask Aaden to do the same.

He thought that when Aaden had asked him to leave, he would go very far away where Aaden would not be able to find him again. But here he was, once again, in Aaden’s presence, at his side.

When he opened his eyes, he squinted lightly at the brightness. It was daylight. His lungs still hurt, and his throat was sore. Parts of his body ached and the side of his head still throbbed, but nothing else pained him. Not physically at least.

He was lying on something soft and was covered in something warm. He smelled coffee, too. When he could move his head again, he turned and looked at the man sitting on the edge of the bed Sehun was lying on.

Aaden had his head hung, his shoulders slouched. He was clad in his Captain’s uniform. He looked worried and despondent.

Sehun lifted a hand and lightly brushed his fingers against Aaden’s arm.

The man turned his head around at once and looked at Sehun with a pair of bulging eyes. “Sehun,” he rasped, shifting his weight on the bed so that he could face the boy. He immediately brought his hands to the sides of Sehun’s face and stared into Sehun’s eyes. His breaths were shallow. “Are you all right?”

Sehun gave a small nod of his head. “Reyan…” he croaked out. His voice sounded terrible. Like someone had strangled him.

“He is fine,” said Aaden. “He is in the next room. But he woke up last night.”

Sehun glanced at the room he was in then. “Where… are we?”

“The infirmary at the palace,” said Aaden. “Prince Fredegar said that you two should stay here until you’re fully recovered.”

That was very nice of him, considering that he was not really all that fond of Sehun.

“What happened last night?” Aaden asked.

Sehun did not want to speak of it just yet. He looked to the door of the infirmary. It was shut close. Then taking hold of Aaden’s hand, he drew Aaden down to lie with him.

Aaden’s eyebrows were knotted in a frown. Sehun paused, wondering if the man were still mad at him. Did he still want Sehun to leave? Was he never going to forgive Sehun?

He would find out he supposed. So, he continued to urge Aaden to lie down on the small bed next to him.

Much to his surprise, Aaden did not refuse. He reclined next to Sehun, his body pressed against Sehun’s. “I was… terrified,” Aaden whispered, eyes boring into Sehun’s. “I thought that I… had lost you.”

Sehun brought a hand up to cup Aaden’s bearded cheek. He gently caressed the man’s face for a moment, thumb stroking the beard along the jaw. He felt Aaden’s breath against his face. Oh, God. He really thought that he would never get to feel Aaden’s touch again. In some ways, he was glad for the fire.

He was here, getting to hold Aaden in his hands once more. It was more than anything Sehun could ask for at the moment.

He leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was a chaste kiss, soft and gentle. Sehun pulled back, foreheads resting against each other, and exhaled heavily upon Aaden’s lips. And then Aaden kissed him. It was a deep one. Deep and hungry. But also grateful and full of relief.

He carefully held a side of Sehun’s head as Sehun slid closer, pressing himself against Aaden’s body while he drew his hand down the man’s chest. The little chains on his jacket rattled and clinked as Sehun ran his fingers down them.

Aaden did not object when Sehun started undoing some of the buttons of his trousers. In fact, he kissed Sehun harder, though he was cautious not to cause Sehun’s wounded head any more pain. They gasped and breathed against each other’s mouth as Sehun’s hand slithered into Aaden’s trousers and fisted around his cock.

Some of Aaden’s attention was diverted from the kiss when Sehun started stroking him in his pants, his hand wrapped around the warm, veined, pulsating length. As much as Sehun wanted to put his mouth all around it, he knew he was not rested enough for it yet.

Aaden allowed it. And he continued to kiss Sehun passionately. Sehun hoped that it meant forgiveness. He did not dare ask right now.

Aaden’s breathing laboured as Sehun stroked him, driving him to the limits of his self-control. He nearly bit Sehun’s lip when he finally reached his peak, spilling into Sehun’s hand. Then he broke the kiss and drew back a little to gaze tiredly into Sehun’s eyes.

“Someone could have walked in,” he said breathlessly.

Sehun smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

Aaden kissed him all over the face next. On the forehead, the cheeks, the chin, even the curve beneath Sehun’s lower lip. He really must have been worried.

Then climbing out of the bed, Aaden tucked his shirt back into his trousers and went to get a damp towel for Sehun. Meanwhile, Sehun tried to sit up. He looked down at the come stains on his fingers and curled his lip between his teeth.

“Here.” Aaden wiped the stains from Sehun’s hand and tossed the towel aside. “I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t… gotten there in time.”

“How did you know I was in there?” asked Sehun.

“I saw your horse.”

“Oh.”

Aaden sat back down on the bed. “What happened, Sehun?”

Sehun tried to recall everything that had happened before the fire. But he had been unconscious for most of it. He frowned and licked his chapped lips. “There were… three men.”

Aaden nodded. “Reyan told me just as much. Three men in masks and with wooden clubs. Anything else? Do you remember anything else about them? Did they say anything to you?”

Sehun shook his head. “They didn’t say a word. They just… stormed in and… hit me and Reyan… and the next thing I know, I woke up in the middle of the fire.”

Aaden heaved a sigh and dropped his face in a hand, fingers rubbing his temples. “It was a planned attack.”

“But why… us? What have Reyan and I done? Why must they hurt us?”

Aaden lifted his head again. His jaw was set tight, his eyes glared at the wall ahead. “They were trying to hurt _me_,” he whispered.

Sehun blinked. “What?”

Aaden shot up from his seat. “It was Alvar,” he spat through his teeth. “The fucking bastard was trying to hurt Reyan. And you came back in the right moment.”

Sehun’s blood ran cold then. “A-Alvar?” He sat up straighter and stared at Aaden in horror and disbelief. “No, it can’t be. He would not…” He realized that he was defending the man again. What if it had indeed been Alvar? What if he had… sent those men to… kill Sehun? “He would not… hurt me to the point of… murdering me.”

“Perhaps not,” said Aaden. “But he did not care about Reyan. You were not supposed to be there. You had left.”

That brought them to that topic then. Sehun pinned Aaden with a hurtful look. “I only came to say goodbye. If you… haven’t changed your mind… I will—”

Aaden sat back down and cupped Sehun’s face in his hands again. “No,” he rasped. “Don’t leave.”

Sehun stared at him vacantly. Though his heart fluttered, he knew that this was wrong. “You wanted to me to go.”

“It was a mistake,” Aaden let out. “I thought… it was the right decision. It wasn’t. I can’t… live without you.”

Sehun frowned. “I cannot stay when you tell me to stay and leave when you want me to leave, Aaden.”

That stumped Aaden. He withdrew his hands and bowed his head. “I know.”

“If you want me, then you have to trust me,” Sehun said. “Otherwise, we would only keep hurting each other. I cannot hear the words you said to me the other night again. I cannot live with you, knowing that you do not trust me completely. That you doubt my loyalty to you.”

“I was an idiot,” Aaden said. “I was mad. I didn’t know… I just couldn’t handle it. The thought of you… still loving Alvar…”

“I do _not_,” Sehun said. “And unless you believe what I’m telling you, I’d rather we… stay apart.”

Aaden’s brows furrowed into a frown. “I… believe you.”

Sehun did not find that convincing. “Alvar is dead to me,” he told Aaden, slipping his hand into Aaden’s, lacing their fingers together. “He is my past. But you… you are my present. And there is nothing I would not give for you to be my future.”

Aaden grabbed the back of Sehun’s neck and pulled him forward until their lips crashed against one another. “I am… so sorry,” he breathed into the kiss.

They broke apart with a jolt when the infirmary’s door was shoved open. Skullmane, Ragepelt, Asscrusher and a couple of the other guards burst into the room, bearing a tray of food.

“He is up!” Asscrusher announced, rushing to Sehun’s side.

Aaden rose from the bed and stepped away to make way for the others.

“You gave us the quite the scare, Honeypearl,” said Ragepelt, plumping down on the bed. He threw an arm around Sehun’s shoulders and pointed to the food tray Skullmane was holding. “Ox tail soup and potato peel stew. Just the thing you need to get your strength back.”

Sehun chuckled and accepted the tray, even though he knew he would never put those foul-smelling liquids in his mouth. But he was still incredibly touched by everyone who had come to see him.

“I can’t believe you guys are here,” he said, looking to every single one of them tearfully.

“What do you mean?” said Asscrusher. “You were one of us. We care about you, laddie. Steelshout and Bonemight said they’d come and visit you once their shift guarding the Prince is over.”

Sehun’s chest warmed. He glanced briefly to Aaden, who slipped past the guards. He paused momentarily at the door to look at Sehun. Though he did not smile, his gaze reassured Sehun. Then he was gone.

“We prepared a song for you and Babyfigs to make you feel better,” said Ragepelt. Sehun was thrilled. For the first time in a while, he could not stop grinning. He was so happy to see his friends again. “Let me go and carry Babyfigs over here first.”

* * *

Aaden found Prince Fredegar in the throne room at his rehearsal for the coronation at the end of the week. “Your Grace,” he called, interrupting the rehearsal.

Fredegar did not mind the interruption. He turned away from the prelate and stepped down the altar. “Have they awakened yet?” he asked.

Aaden was surprised by the inquiry. “Yes. Reyan last night, and Sehun just a moment ago.”

“Oh, that is good news,” the Prince sighed. “And have you found out what had started the fire?”

“About that, Your Highness,” Aaden muttered, glancing the palace guards and the prelate.

Fredegar cocked an eyebrow. He then ordered everyone to leave the room for a moment. “What is it?”

“Both of them report that they were assaulted by three masked men before they were tied up and left to burn in the fire,” Aaden told the Prince.

Fredegar’s face paled in shock. “It was not an accident, then?”

“I’m afraid not.” He clenched his fists. “And I think I know who did it.”

“Who?”

“Your brother,” Aaden spat.

“What evidence do you have for this insane accusation, Captain?”

“I have none yet,” Aaden replied. “But I have already ordered the guards to search the city high and low for those mercenaries. And when I find them, I will get them to spill their guts.”

Fredegar shook his head. “What makes you think that my brother had any reason to hire mercenaries to kill your brother and Sehun?”

“I… I warned him the other day,” Aaden admitted. “I said some things that might have… challenged him. He has every reason to—”

Aaden stopped himself when some palace guards entered the throne room. “Your Majesty,” one of them, the one called Golddust rasped, bowing his head. He then turned to Aadne. “Captain.”

“What is it?”

“The city guards found a foreign man skulking about the streets of the city,” said Golddust. “He would give them no name. They brought them to us.”

“Where is he?” Aaden demanded, already marching toward Golddust.

“We are holding him captive in the dungeons for now, Captain.”

“I will go with you,” said Prince Fredegar.

When they had made their way down to the palace dungeons, Aaden stormed into one of the cells, where the outsider was.

“Who are you?” he demanded the man, who was down on his knees with his hands shackled at his back. When he did not answer, Aaden struck him across the face with the back of his hand. “You will only make this hard for yourself if you do not answer my questions.”

Still, the man said nothing and kept his head hung low.

Aaden drew his sword then. “You are of no use to me without information. Might as well kill you now.” As he brought the sword to the man’s throat, the stranger lifted his head with a horrified expression.

“Please, do not kill me,” he cried in a thick accent. He was from Taitenia. A mercenary, no doubt.

“What are you doing in Skairon?” Aaden growled. “And trust me, if you lie, I will rip your tongue out and feed it to the palace dogs.”

Usually, his threats were only to get the criminals to talk. But after what had happened last night, Aaden was no longer sure that he was just making idle threats. All he needed was a little proof to drive his sword through Alvar’s chest.

“I…” the mercenary began. Aaden pressed the tip of his sword harder into the man’s neck.

“Speak up!”

“I work for money,” he finally said. “I’d do anything for money.”

“You’re a mercenary,” Aaden said.

The man nodded his head.

“Last night,” Aaden then asked. “the fire. Was it your doing?”

He was not all that surprised when the man nodded again. The only thing that was holding him back from plunging his sword into the bastard’s throat was the fact that he still needed to know who had hired him to do the nasty deed.

“By whose request?” Aaden demanded. “Who hired and paid you?”

“I don’t know, I swear. All I know is that a man brought an anonymous letter to us along with half of a promised payment. Once we’re through with it, we were to get the rest,” the mercenary betrayed. “That is all that I know. I swear! I swear!”

“Aaden,” he heard Fredegar call his name before he felt the Prince’s hand on his shoulder. “I think we have gotten enough out of him.”

Aaden withdrew his sword but did not sheathe it. “It was Alvar,” he let out. “I know it. I know it, Your Grace.”

“Well, we can hold a trial,” Fredegar said. “A public trial, if you wish. There, you can lay your charges against my brother. This mercenary will be a witness.”

Aaden turned back to the mercenary. “Who was this man that brought you the letter?” he asked. “Did he give you a name?”

“No. But he was always at the _Blue Fin_ tavern. He… had a bald head. Must be in his late forties. Skinny man. Oh! He had a… naked woman’s tattoo on his right arm.”

Aaden looked sharply to Golddust. “Find this man, and don’t come back until you do.”

Golddust bowed his head and hurried away with the other guards.

“Where are _you_ going?” Fredegar asked Aaden when he started to brush past the Prince.

“If you’ll excuse me, Your Highness, I need to have a word with your brother.”

Aaden did not stop until he was in Alvar’s quarters. He found the Prince at his desk in his study, going through some missives.

“What now?” Alvar groaned, rolling his eyes as Aaden strode toward him.

“How do you live with yourself?!” Aaden roared at him. “Does the guilt not eat away at your conscience?! Or are you really that much of a monster?”

Alvar looked confused. “You will learn how to speak to a Prince, Captain. Don’t think that I will not hesitate to charge you with treason.”

“_Fuck_ you and your treason,” Aaden spat through his teeth. “The boy loved you! He _loved_ you! And you were going to let him burn in a fire!”

Alvar blinked at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“Why do you even bother to play coy? I know that you did it. I know that you hired those mercenaries just like how you hired the one to attack your own brother during our journey to Aerth.”

Alvar rose from his seat then. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Save it. I know that Sehun told you about the path we would be taking.”

Alvar scoffed then. “So, you believed that I had sent a mercenary after my brother and this mercenary has gone completely unnoticed until he somehow found the location you were at in the middle of the forest and slipped into my brother’s tent? Even then, how long could it possibly take for a mercenary to kill someone who’s asleep?”

Aaden stared at the man.

“Sehun did tell me about your plans. But how specific did you think he could have been when he himself had no clue?” Alvar added. He walked around the desk and leaned back on the edge of it before crossing his arms over his chest. “Trust me. If I had wanted my brother dead, I would not have done it by sending a lowly mercenary to follow him into the woods and slit his throat in his sleep. I would have done it by slipping simple poison in his tea and erasing every trace of it.”

“You… brought a horde of soldiers of fortune to a peaceful negotiation. You did it so that it would seem as a threat to the Taitenian King.”

Alvar rolled his eyes again. He then quickly sifted through the scroll lying on his desk while saying, “I was sincere when I told my brother that I had brought those soldiers along for his own safety after his mother had denied him the protection of the army. It was Egar who tried to make it all seem like an aggressive move on my part. But I have been a soldier, I have been a strategist. And I have experienced much more than my brother. The Taitenian King forsook the borders to us because of _my_ soldiers.”

He picked out a scroll and tossed it to Aaden.

“Give it a read. It’s a royal missive from the King of Taitenia. He pledges his allegiance to the one who leads the Slavarian army. He will only bow his head to a good horde of soldiers.”

Alvar was not wrong. As Aaden perused the letter, he discovered that the Taitenian King was more pleased with the display of strength than the naïve peace negotiations Fredegar had pushed upon them.

“You are winning more allies than Prince Fredegar,” Aaden muttered, scowling. “How did you think this would help your case?”

Alvar shrugged. “If it were a democracy, I think we both know who would be sitting on that throne.”

“He is the rightful heir,” Aaden spat.

“But is he a fitting King?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Now, what is this business about mercenaries and a fire?”

Aaden was suddenly so confused that he did not know what to think. He ignored Alvar’s question for a second and said, “You told one of your brother’s guards about Sehun betraying him. What was that for?”

“Sehun betrayed me first, did he not?” Alvar grumbled, his expression suddenly turning bitter and sour. “He was… shifting his loyalty to my brother. Even after promising it all to me. And then I found out that he… slept with you. He deserved what he got.”

Aaden could not believe what he was hearing.

“Are you telling me that underneath all of this, you never tried to undermine Prince Fredegar? You want his crown.”

“I do,” said Alvar blatantly. “Because I deserve. I did not ask to be born a bastard. In spite of that, I have done everything in my power for my father’s reign to thrive. And what did I get in return? A small portion of his land to rule over, and it isn’t even really mine. He handed the crown when he died to Egar. Mark my words. Under Fredegar’s reign, there will be nothing but chaos. He is greedy and ambitious. He thinks he could rule Slavaria, but he isn’t a ruler, Captain Aaden.”

“And what of the right of birth?”

“To hell with it,” Alvar spat. “I have done more for these people than anyone is willing to give me the credit for. I deserve to be King.”

“And that’s why you keep playing this game of yours. To have our allies doubt Fredegar’s ability to rule.”

Alvar laughed at that. “They doubt Fredegar’s ability to rule because it deserves to be doubted. I had no part to play in it, but I suppose Egar has you believing that I do, just as he has everyone believing that I am the bad guy.”

Scoffing and smirking, he went back to his seat. “I don’t understand,” Aaden muttered, eyebrows drawn together. “What are you getting at?”

“You have no reason to believe me, and I absolutely have no reason to convince you of anything, Captain,” Alvar said, returning some of his attention to his scrolls and letters. “But Egar would not rest until he has turned everyone against me. Why do you think he wanted you back? He has been striving to tarnish my name, so that I would lose the support I have, especially from the people. I am playing my game, and he is playing his. I know my brother.” He smiled, briefly looking up at Aaden with a wink. “And I know what a little bitch he is.”

Aaden slammed his hands on the desk. “You are bluffing.”

“You’re right. Maybe I am bluffing,” the Prince shrugged. “You can go back to guarding your Crown Prince, Ragnavor. But when it all crashes and burns, try to not hit yourself too hard in the head. You, like many others, only believed in… what did you call it was? Ah yes. The right of birth.”

Aaden pulled away from the desk. “So, it was not you? The one who sent the mercenaries to attack my brother and Sehun and leave them to die in a fire?”

Alvar looked up at him with bulging eyes. He was either an excellent pretender or he really was genuinely concerned. But the worried gaze quickly intentionally hardened. “What happened to them? Is Sehun all right?”

“Why do you care about him now?”

Alvar gripped his jaw. “I don’t. But maybe I’m worried that I would not get to fuck him again. And that might be a great loss.”

Aaden knew that Alvar was no longer being serious. “Fuck.” He turned on his heel and strode out of there. He knew better than to trust any of the bastard’s words. For all that he knew, Alvar could be messing with his head.

* * *

# E P I L O G U E

“That’s not how you play the game!” Reyan was groaning in exasperation when Aaden entered the infirmary later that day. He was sitting on the bed with Sehun, slapping Sehun’s hands. “You need to be quicker.”

“I suck at this game,” Sehun sighed. He then glanced over to the open door and grinned at Aaden. “You’re back.”

“Brother,” Reyan called and jumped up to his feet. Aaden frowned at his brother’s bandaged head.

“You should get back to your bed,” Aaden said. “You still need some rest.”

“I feel fine,” Reyan muttered. “Just a little wheezy, but it is not that bad.”

“It’s getting late, Reyan. The physician might be looking for you in your room. Go now.”

Whining and mumbling, Reyan shoved past Aaden and made his way out of the room.

“How are _you_ feeling?” Aaden then asked Sehun.

“A lot better,” Sehun said, smiling weakly. “Did you… find anything about the attackers from last night?”

Aaden had indeed. That and more. Everything that Alvar had divulged to him was hard to keep out of his head. He did not trust the Prince at all. But everything he said made sense. And that horrified Aaden.

He sank into a seat on Sehun’s bed and took hold of the boy’s hand. It was warm and red from all the slapping. “I am just… confused.”

Sehun sat up straighter and rested his head on Aaden’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Reyan and I are safe now.”

“But you will never be safe enough because of me. For as long as I am doing this job.”

Lifting his head from the shoulder, Sehun frowned at him. “Do you really… believe that Alvar could have… done this?”

“You don’t, do you?”

Sehun looked at him worriedly. “Would he go to the point of… murdering innocent people? Had I really… fallen for such a heartless man?”

Aaden brushed his lips against Sehun’s temple. “I don’t know. I don’t think… I know anything anymore.” He sighed and rose back to his full height. “I must stand guard tonight. I will… see you in the morning.”

“One more kiss?” Sehun asked so innocently.

Smiling, Aaden tenderly cupped his cheek and bowed down to press a soft kiss to Sehun’s lips. “Everything will be all right.”

With that, he meandered his way up to Prince Fredegar’s quarters.

“The Prince wants to see you, Captain,” Ragepelt said when Aaden walked into the hallway.

Nodding his head once, Aaden wandered into the Crown Prince’s chambers. “Your Grace,” he greeted.

“Ah, Aaden,” said Fredegar, rising from his desk. “I was thinking that we should hold the trial promptly after the day of the coronation.”

Aaden’s jaw tightened. “We haven’t found the man with the tattoo who delivered the letter to the mercenaries. We don’t have enough evidence against Prince Alvar.”

Fredegar’s brows rose in surprise. “You seem oddly calm now. You were fuming in the morning.”

Aaden drew a breath. “I have had… some to sort my thoughts, Your Highness.”

“Hmm… I still think we should have the trial. If my brother is suspected to be behind such a crime, everyone in his court and mine, as well as the people should know. Everyone must know that as King, I will take necessary actions without any delay if it is against my own kin.”

Aaden watched the way Fredegar spoke. It really did seem like a child trying so hard to sound like a King. “It would not be right to bring Prince Alvar to a public trial with such accusations without proper proof, My Prince. It will be a mark on his name.”

“You were accusing my brother of the crime a while ago,” Fredegar spat. “What changed all of a sudden?”

“I will find more proof,” Aaden said. “And then we should bring your brother to justice. But until then, I will not press any charges against him.”

Fredegar huffed in annoyance. He started pacing the room restlessly and almost furiously. Then looking to Aaden again, he said, “Fine. Bring me the proof first.”

* * *

It took the guards a couple of days to find the man with the naked woman tattoo. The man had apparently run into a guard on his own in the city.

With the coronation on the next day, Aaden did not want to cause too much commotion. So, he ordered Steelshout and Asscrusher to take the tattooed man to the barracks and hold him there until Aaden was ready to interrogate him.

The palace bustled with guests and carriages. While every single one of the guests paid their due respects to the Queen Regent and the Crown Prince, most of them turned to Prince Alvar with some familiarity and cordiality. They treated Alvar as if he were the real Prince and the other two were only figureheads.

And Alvar was indeed a diplomatic man. Or he was just a very clever strategist. He rubbed shoulders easily with the Kings and Queens of the neighbouring countries while Fredegar was more reserved, as though he felt he was above them. He was to be King of Slavaria after all. He had every right to be proud.

The evening before the coronation day, Aaden made his way into the barracks and found the tattooed man seated at a table in the feast hall, guarded by Steelshout and Asscrusher.

Taking his seat across the man, Aaden said, “Now, I will only ask my questions once. If you don’t answer them or if you lie, there will be severe consequences.”

The man did not look like he wanted to find out what those consequences might entail. He gulped and nodded his head.

“What is your name?” Aaden inquired first.

“Moels, Your Majesty.”

Asscrusher slapped the back of Moels’ head. “He’s not royalty, you moron.”

“Now, Moels,” Aaden said. “You hired three mercenaries to assault my brother at his home. Now, I highly doubt that pathetic sot such as yourself would have a grudge against me or my brother. So, tell me. Who gave you the letter and money to hire the mercenaries?”

“I…” He looked up at the other two guards and then back at Aaden. He swallowed again. “It was the… eldest Prince.”

Aaden’s chest tightened. “What?”

“Yes,” the man let out nervously. He would not meet Aaden’s eyes. His lips were quivering and his hands on the table were trembling. He pulled them down. “Alvar. It was Prince Alvar, who told me to hire those mercenaries.”

“Son of a…” Steelshout let out behind Moels in disbelief.

“So,” Aaden said. “Prince Alvar… came to you in person and hired three foreign mercenaries to kill a mentally challenged boy?” Aaden arched an eyebrow.

“Y-Yes…” Moels muttered and wiped the sweat beads collecting on his wrinkled forehead.

“You mean to tell me,” Aaden pressed on. “that an experienced royal-blooded warrior with his dominion in all of the south and an army of skilled private soldiers wanted _you_, a sleazy rat from a tavern, to be the mediator between him and some mercenaries.”

Asscrusher slapped the back of the man’s head once more. “Alvar’s a cunning asshole. But he does shit with style. Spit out the truth, you fool.”

Aaden raised a hand to Asscrusher to halt him. “Look, Moels. I know that you’re lying,” he said calmly. The man gulped. “And unless you tell me the truth, you will not be walking out of here alive.”

Moels kept mum for a moment before he said, “I am… telling you the truth.”

Aaden heaved a sigh and leaned back a little. Then he glanced up at Steelshout, who instantly drew a dagger and held it to Moels’ throat, ready to drag it across.

“No! Please! Wait! I will tell you everything!” the man screamed.

Aaden lifted up his fingers, ordering Steelshout to wait. “One last chance.”

Moels gasped as he said, “It was an old man. In a cloak. I don’t know who he was. He didn’t tell me his name. He only gave me some money and told me to do as I was told. And I did.”

Old man?

“Then why did you just pin the blame on Prince Alvar?” asked Aaden.

“The old man came to me again yesterday. He told me to surrender myself to the city guards. And when I am taken in, I should… say that it was Prince Alvar.”

Aaden found it difficult to think for a second. All this new information muddled his mind.

“Anything you can tell me about this old man?” he then asked.

Moels thought about it for a second. “I was pretty drunk but… I think I saw a ring on his finger. It was shaped like a… crescent.”

Aaden rose from his seat. “Lock him up.”

“Wait! I told you everything I know!”

Aaden did not stick around to hear anymore as he stomped out of the barracks with more confusion than before.

Unless the sot was lying again, Alvar was telling Aaden the truth. He had not sent the mercenaries after Reyan and Sehun.

* * *

When he went to see Sehun at the infirmary, he found the boy to be standing near the window, gazing out with a lost look in his face.

“Sehun?” Aaden called and only then did Sehun notice his presence.

“Hey,” he said with a strange smile.

Aaden walked over to him and took his hand before brushing a kiss on the fingers. He smiled as Sehun blushed. “How are you feeling today?”

“My head has stopped hurting,” said the boy, looking a little worried.

“What is the matter?”

Sehun hesitated to answer for a moment. Then with a sigh, he said, “Alvar… came to see me… earlier.”

Aaden stared at him. “Did he… do anything?”

“No. He just… took a look at me and then… left.”

Aaden wrapped his arms protectively around Sehun.

“You are not angry about it, are you?” the boy asked worriedly.

“No, of course not,” Aaden exhaled, lips pressing against Sehun’s temple. “If he did not hurt you, then I am not.”

“He didn’t,” Sehun said and laid his head against Aaden’s shoulder. Then after a minute, he said, “It feels so good to be held by you.”

Aaden chuckled. “I could say the same about you.”

Sehun pulled back and gazed into Aaden’s eyes. “If you could… marry me, would you?”

The question had caught Aaden off guard. He stared back at Sehun’s eyes, unblinking. His silence was causing Sehun disappointment he noticed after a moment.

Smiling, Aaden then held the back of Sehun’s head gently before he bowed his head all the way down to plant a kiss on the boy’s neck. Sehun shivered in his arms.

“In a heartbeat,” Aaden promised him. Sehun smiled, all glassy-eyed and crimson-cheeked.

* * *

The day of the coronation brought a whole lot of uproar. As the guests gathered in the throne room, Aaden had to listen to endless rigmaroles from every baron to every king. Princesses presented themselves to both Fredegar and Alvar, in hope of being courted by at least one of them.

Aaden looked away from the noblemen and women from where he stood behind Prince Fredegar and glanced to the two servant boys slinking into the throne room. The ruddy head he could pick out in any crowd made Aaden squint.

_Oh, for fuck’s sake_.

Reyan and Sehun slipped into the crowd, dressed in servant uniforms, giggling and sharing secrets. Then as they slowly made their way to the food table, Aaden excused himself from Fredegar and his mother.

“What are you two doing?” he asked as he approached his brother and lover.

They froze and did not turn around immediately. Then Sehun did with a guilty look on his face. “We were… bored at the infirmary,” he muttered. “So… Skullmane gave us these clothes and we have just been… roaming around the palace and…” he trailed off, frowning at Aaden’s murderous scowl.

When Reyan turned around, he had sweeties stuffed in his cheeks. He hung his head after meeting Aaden’s harsh eyes. “_Soweh_,” he mumbled with his mouth full.

“I have two children,” Aaden snapped at them. “Get out of here.”

“But we want to see the coronation, too,” Sehun sighed. “No one would even notice us, I promise. We’ll stay in the back.”

Aaden groaned and shook his head. “You will both drive me crazy one day,” he muttered under his breath as he turned around and walked back to Prince Fredegar.

“What’s wrong?” Fredegar asked him when he returned to his side.

“Nothing for you to worry about, Your Grace,” Aaden muttered to him. Then he briefly glanced to Alvar, who finally managed to send a princess, who had been boring him with stories of her foreign studies, away. “I believe Princess Athetedyeada is coming your way.”

Alvar looked at Aaden with a raised brow before he turned his attention the approaching princess. “I can never seem to pronounce her name right. It’s like a cruel tongue-twister,” Alvar grumbled under his breath and grinned at the princess. “It’s great to have you here, Princess uh… of Cairen.”

Aaden scoffed and looked away. Another nobleman approached the Crown Prince and the Queen Regent with his daughter.

“Where is Halwert?” asked the Queen.

“He is making conversation with the King and Queen of Laga, Your Majesty,” Aaden told her.

“Get him over here, will you?”

Bowing his head, Aaden wended his way to the royal advisor at once. “Her Grace the Queen Regent is requesting your company, Halwert,” Aaden said, walking up to the man.

“Ah, of course.” Halwert bowed to the King and Queen of Laga before asking to be excused. “I hope you remember what I’ve said.”

The Lagan King nodded his head curtly. “I will try to keep it mind.”

Halwert then pulled away from them and turned to Aaden. “Are your guards at their posts, Captain?”

“They know how to do their job, Halwert,” Aaden said.

“I don’t doubt it. But we can never be careful enough.” When he raised his hand to beckon at a servant, Aaden noticed the glinting gold on the old advisor’s finger.

It was a ring.

Shaped as a crescent.

The prelate commenced the coronation ceremony and requested that everyone took their seats.

Aaden dragged his feet, almost lifelessly to the side of the altar. He heard nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat for a while. His breathing was ragged. His fingers cold and frozen.

He could not look away from Halwert, who smiled proudly at Fredegar, who returned the man’s smile and gave him a slight nod of his head.

Tearing his gaze away from them, Aaden looked to Alvar, who stood on the other side of the altar, staring straight ahead with his jaw clenched.

The prelate and the royal priest went on with the crowning ceremony.

Halwert was only doing Fredegar’s bidding. He would see the rightful heir of Slavaria sit on the throne at any cost. And that was why he was helping Fredegar taint Alvar’s name.

Alvar was not the one who wanted to hurt Reyan. It was Fredegar. And it was so that Aaden would press those charges against Alvar and ruin his reputation among the common people.

And what better way to do it than by attacking one of the common people? Everyone knew how protective Aaden was of his brother. He would not have rested until Alvar was brought to justice.

Aaden held his breath, every muscle in his body numbed, as he watched the prelate set the crown on Fredegar’s head and name him Fredegar Skyborn, the King of Slavaria.

End.


End file.
